Williams? career night ends in a close Jacks loss at Centenary

Thursday, December 6

Shreveport, La.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Centenary

12/6/2007 1:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By: SDSU Sports Info

SHREVEPORT, La. ? Sophomore Kai Williams poured in a game and career-high 28 points and pulled down a game and career-high 18 rebounds in South Dakota State's first ever Summit League game, but Centenary's Lance Hill blocked Garrett Callahan's three-point shot at the buzzer, sending the Jackrabbits to an 80-77 loss Thursday night at the Gold Dome in Shreveport, La.

The loss drops the Jacks to 3-4 on the season and 0-1 in Summit League play, while the Gents improve to 6-3 overall and 1-0 in The Summit League.

A lay-up by Callahan and a jumper by senior Ben Beran gave the Jacks a quick 4-0 lead that they would hold onto for the first six minutes of the game.

Centenary would come back to force the first of five first half ties moments later with a trio of lead changes to follow in the next three minutes.

The Gents would break the third tie of the half at 16-all with 10:54 to play, and hold on the lead, which would get no higher than six points, until another Callahan lay-up broke the fourth tie of the game with 1:32 left in the half to give the Jacks a 37-35 lead.

The fifth and final tie of the half came on a Chase Adams lay-up with under a minute to go, which sent the teams to the locker room knotted at 37.

The close play continued in the second half, with four ties in the first eight minutes, before the Gents took the lead for good at 50-48 with 12:35 to go in the game.

The Jacks kept the game close throughout the rest of the half, and with three seconds left, had the ball with a chance to tie and send the game to overtime, but Hill ended those hopes with the block, thus ending the game.

Along with Williams, three other Jackrabbits put up double-digit points. Beran finished 15, Callahan with 14 and freshman Clint Sargent with ten.

Williams' career night came on 10-of-15 (67 percent) shooting from the floor, including a 2-for-5 (40 percent) effort from three-point range.

Hill and Tyrone Hamilton led the Gents, who hosts North Dakota State on Saturday, with 24-points each.

The Jackrabbits return to action on Saturday, when they take on the two-time defending conference champion Oral Roberts Golden Eagles.

Tip-off from the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Okla., is slated for 7:05 p.m.