Danville, Ky. – Freshman Hunter Penn cut down the lane and cashed in a game-winning layup on an inbounds pass from Jack Patton with 1.4 seconds remaining to give the Transylvania men's basketball team a scintillating 62-61 victory over the Centre College Colonels on Monday evening at Alumni Gymnasium.
Penn provided the latest dramatic chapter in the Transy-Centre rivalry as well as one of the most memorable opening chapters to a season in Pioneer men's basketball annals with an 11-point night in his college debut, punctuated by his backdoor cut, made possible by the heads-up pass from the senior Patton.
Penn's runner concluded a wild night that saw the Pioneers give up an early nine-point lead in the first half, followed by a 17-point swing in favor of the Colonels before Transy rallied late with clutch moments from senior Zach Larimore.
The Pioneers celebrated a season-opening victory for a 1-0 start to the year while Centre was further relegated to waiting upon its first win of the year, dropping to 0-3 overall as the Pioneers spoiled Centre's home opener.
The evening witnessed the collegiate debuts of three Pioneer newcomers, including Penn. Fellow freshman Colby Napier ushered in a new season with a game-opening trey on his first attempt, signaling a busy 5 for 9 night from downtown. Napier finished the evening with a game-high 18 points with five rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 35 minutes of work.
Behind a core of triples from Napier and Brandon Cromwell, the Pioneers streaked out to a 9-2 start and bolstered their lead as Penn heated up near the restricted area to complement Transylvania's outside game.
The Pioneers held an 18-9 lead on Centre, but the Colonels' zone began forcing turnovers against the visitors, translating into a 13-0 Centre run for a 22-18 Colonel lead.
Penn stemmed the run with an inside score to trim Transy's deficit to two points with over eight minutes left in the half. The archrivals clung tightly to one another for the rest of the half before Centre closed on an 11-4 run for a 37-31 halftime lead. Penn had nine points by halftime and would not score again until the go-ahead winner.
The Pioneers emerged from the halftime break with high-energy hustle and power. Napier knocked down his fourth trey of the game, and Larimore scored inside on back-to-back possessions to bolster a 7-2 run, cutting Transy's deficit to a point.
Transylvania played gritty ball throughout the second half, weathering every attempt by Centre to shift momentum. Patton took his turn making clutch plays with an ankle-breaking drive to tie up the game at 42-42 with under 14 minutes left in the second half. On the following possession, Patton fed Luke Schroeder for an inside bucket to give Transy a two-point lead.
Centre later retook the lead, resizing its advantage to 53-48 with 7:45 remaining in the game. Newcomer Matthew Teague surged with back-to-back buckets, cutting Centre's lead back down to a point.
With Transy trailing 55-52 at the 4:03 mark of the second half, Larimore fought his way to the foul line and hit a pair of free throws. The Pioneers gained another stop and Larimore muscled his way inside once more for a three-point play, giving the Pioneers the lead at 57-55 with under three minutes to go.
After both teams endured a mini-drought for over the next minute and a half, the Pioneers gained their largest lead of the half as Napier sank his fifth and final trey of the night, putting Transy ahead 60-55 with 1:08 left.
Honoring the tradition of their past nailbiters, Centre struck quickly on the next possession with a three-pointer and gained a steal against the Pioneers with half a minute to go. The Pioneers pressured the Centre ballhandler RJ Williams in the paint, who found Jalen Williams for a go-ahead right-wing triple, giving the Colonels a 61-60 lead.
With under 10 seconds to go in the game and needing a bucket, Transylvania set up Ethan Hudson for a right corner three, and though his shot bounced high off the rim, the Pioneers fought for the loose ball and regained possession with over two seconds left in the game. Following a timeout, Patton triggered the inbound pass and found Penn cutting down the lane away from the defense for the game-winning bucket.
Centre's final desperation shot at the buzzer was off the mark, and the Pioneers headed back to Lexington with a laborious win in hand.
Larimore shook off a 4 for 18 night from the field with a series of clutch plays down the stretch, and made all three of his free throw attempts, adding eight rebounds, one block, and one assist in victory. Penn not only had a game-winner in his first college game, but also yielded a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds, adding two blocks and one steal.
Cromwell made his way back to the floor for the first time in nearly 11 months after an early season knee injury suffered last season; the junior started and played 29 minutes, producing five points, three rebounds, and one steal. The Pioneers had a commanding offensive rebound advantage of 15 boards to Centre's seven and outscored the Colonels in second-chance points, 14-8.
The Pioneers return to play on Thursday, November 18 in an exhibition at Division I Morehead State University at 7:30 p.m. in Morehead, Kentucky. Transylvania's next regular season game takes place on Saturday, November 20 in its home opener versus the Westminster (Pa.) College Titans. Tip-off between Transy and Westminster is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at the Clive M. Beck Center in Lexington.
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