Gents and Trojans Renew TAAC Rivalry

SHREVEPORT-Centenary and UALR (University of Arkansas-Little Rock) will meet again on the basketball court for the first time since 2000. The Gents and Trojans enjoyed a fierce rivalry as members of the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) throughout the 1980s and will rekindle the series on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Gold Dome. Centenary (2-4) is coming off of a heart-breaking 89-86 loss at the hands of Northwestern State on Tuesday. The Gents led for the majority of the first half and had their chances late, but the Demons outlasted the Maroon and White by hitting several clutch free throws down the final stretch. Larry Logan scored 18 points in the loss for Centenary and is leading the team with an average of 13.5 ppg on the season. Alexander Starr is pumping in 12.8 ppg while shooting a sizzling 68.4 percent from the field and Tyrone Hamilton is adding 11.5 ppg to the mix for the Gents. UALR (4-3) collected back-to-back wins over Texas State and Tennessee-Martin before getting handled by Texas A&M 75-35 on Monday evening. In that contest, the Trojans shot a meager 26 percent from the field and did not convert on a single three-point attempt in going 0-for-20 in the loss. Rashad Jones-Jennings is one of two scorers averaging double figures for UALR. The senior is posting 12.7 ppg while Terrance Akins is averaging 11.1 ppg. The matchup features two teams with different strengths as the Trojans are defensive minded, holding opponents to 71.4 points per contest and scoring just 65.6 ppg. Meanwhile, Centenary is leading the Mid-Continent Conference with its 79.8 ppg clip, but is allowing 77.7 ppg. The meeting is the 34th between the two schools with UALR holding the 23-10 advanatge in the series. The two clubs last met in the 1999-2000 season which saw the Gents sweep both games of the home-and-home series. The game will be broadcast locally in the Shreveport-Bossier area on KSCL 91.3 FM and can also be heard over the internet at www.SportsJuice.com.