Lexington, Ky. – The veteran Pioneer frontcourt showed off their power and tenacity to lead the Transylvania men's basketball team to a 62-47 win over the Mount St. Joseph University Lions on Saturday afternoon at the Beck Center.
Lucas Gentry and Dominique Turner led a dominant performance on the boards for Transylvania as both seniors notched double-doubles to sweep the season series against the Lions, 48 hours after beating the Lions at the buzzer on a game-winning miracle floater from Gentry.
Gentry led the way with 18 points and added 10 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double while Turner grabbed his first double-double of the season with a game-high 11 rebounds and 15 points. Turner matched his career-high from a week ago in field goals made and field-goal percentage with a 7 for 9 showing from the floor.
Transylvania improved to 3-6 on the season and 3-1 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play while growing their winning streak to three games. The Lions dropped to 0-6 on the year.
After Thursday's thrilling road win that saw the Pioneers erase a nine-point deficit with 57 seconds left in regulation and capped off the game with a 12-2 run and Gentry's buzzer-beater, the Pioneers worked towards a more conventional double-digit win in Saturday's rematch.
Transylvania reprised its hot first-half shooting from Thursday by hitting at a 58 percent rate from the floor and connecting on 4 of 6 three-pointers to furnish a 35-25 halftime lead.
The Lions and Pioneers traded baskets in the first eight minutes of the afternoon before a free throw from Aiden Pashley and two free throws from Zach Larimore spurred a 12-0 run for the Pioneers for their first double-digit lead of the game. Gentry powered home a runner and Turner splashed home his only three-point attempt of the day to finish off the run for the Pioneers en route to a 28-16 advantage with 7:21 left in the half.
The Lions went on a mini-run in the final three minutes of the half before Pashley knocked down a three-pointer with 30 seconds to go, giving the Pioneers a 10-point halftime lead.
Turner, Larimore, and Gentry continued to solidify the interior defense for the Pioneers as the Lions were offered little clearance in the paint in the second half. The three upperclassmen led Transylvania to a 34-23 advantage on the boards and outscored the Lions in the paint 28 to 18.
The Pioneers showed off their depth, outscoring the Lions in bench points 17 to 1. Pashley led all Pioneer reserves with eight points and grabbed three rebounds.
Transylvania will next take on Earlham College in Week 3 of the HCAC season, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. contest next Friday, January 29 at the Beck Center.
For more on Transylvania men's basketball, follow @TransyHoops on Twitter
