Shreveport, Louisiana - The fifth-seeded Trinity men's basketball team was edged 57-55 by the host and No. 4 seed Centenary College Friday in the Quarterfinals of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.

Trinity, which returned to the tournament after a one-year absence, finished the season with a 10-16 record. Centenary improved to 16-10 and will play in Saturday's semifinals. The two teams split their regular-season series at 1-1.

"Both teams played hard and it was back and forth. Unfortunately, we came up a little bit short," reflected Head Coach Pat Cunningham. "We made some shots, not enough of them, but we went through a stretch where Isaiah and Kham made some threes to keep us in it. Down the stretch, Jimmy and Ben made a couple of big threes to get us back close. We just missed some key free throws and gave up too many offensive rebounds. They made some plays to win it. Defensively, we were really good, but offensively we missed too many shots. You always want to win one more. I thought our guys gave a great effort, and it was a great college atmosphere. Season-wise, we got better as we went along. We played better at the end, and we had our chances in this game. It always ends one game too early."

Ben Beatie tied the game at 45-45 by sinking one of two free throws with 6:45 left on the clock. The Tigers took a 49-47 lead a little over a minute later on a three-pointer by Khambrel Roach, followed by a free throw from Matt Jones. The Gents pulled ahead 52-49 with 4:15 remaining, and then neither team scored over the next three minutes.

Centenary then hit a three-point bucket at the 1:39 mark to lead 55-49. Jimmy Clark kept the Tigers fighting with a trey of his own on the team's next possession, and then the Gents hit two free throws for a 57-52 advantage. Beatie fired up a three-pointer to make it a 55-57 deficit, and following a Centenary missed three, Beatie pulled down the rebound with 18 seconds left.  The Tigers, though, could not get a shot off as time expired.

Isaiah Specks led the Tigers with 13 points, shooting 3-9 from the floor, 3-4 beyond the arc, and sinking 4-4 free throws. Beatie grabbed 13 rebounds, and A.J. Pulliam accounted for 12 boards. Jones dished out five assists in the game. He added to his Tiger record for single season assists, and finishes the year with 128 to his credit.

Travion Kirkendoll of Centenary led the game with 18 points, and Dyllon Weaver posted a double-double of 10 points and 17 rebounds. The Gents shot 29% from the field, and nearly 23% from three-point range.

The Tigers managed only 12.5% three-point shooting in the first half, but exploded for over 58% in the second. Overall, Trinity shot over 34% from the field, and 40% of its three-pointers. The Tigers committed 16 turnovers, and the Gents made 12. Centenary led 18-8 in points off giveaways.