DANVILLE, Ky. -- On Friday night, the Millsaps College men's basketball team traveled to Centre College for a quarterfinal matchup with the No. 2 seeded Vikings of Berry College.

In a back and forth game that saw the Majors lead by as many as 10 points at one point, it was Berry that was able to hold on to a late lead and avoid the first round upset with a 62-60 win. 

How It Happened
In the early portion of the first half Millsaps jumped out to an 8 point lead. Ryan McLaurin scored the game's opening points on a three-pointer and five minutes later a Justin Van Pelt free throw pushed the Majors' lead out to 14-6. 

Berry responded with a quick 9-0 run which allowed them to take their first lead of the game at 15-14 with 12:15 remaining to play in the opening half. 

Millsaps, and more specifically Saxton Becker, had an answer. After a pair of baskets from Buck Blanz and Matt Owens, Becker caught fire from beyond the three-point arc, making good on three consecutive attempts to give the Majors their largest lead of the game at 27-17. 

Millsaps was able to hold on to that lead for several minutes, but Berry was slowly chipping away. With 2:23 left in the half the Vikings tied things up again, and then closed the period well to take a 38-36 lead to the halftime break. 

Zachary Tullos opened up the second half with an old-fashioned three-point play to put the Majors up 39-38, and the two teams settled in for the stretch run. The Majors still held the advantage however, pushing their lead out to as many as 5 points on a Michael Sullivan layup with 12:48 remaining in the game. 

It was there that Berry made their run and eventually led by as many as 8 points with just 5:40 left in the ballgame. 

The Majors refused to go away however. An 8-0 run highlighted by a She'Chem Grant three-pointer, and capped by a Van Pelt layup cut it to a 61-60 game with 33 seconds left on the clock. 

Millsaps forced a Viking turnover on a Grant steal, but they were unable to get anything on the offensive end. Berry was able to convert a final free throw to advance to the semifinals with a 62-60 win. 

Key Contributors
Van Pelt led the Majors offense 14 points, and his team-high 10 rebounds allowed him to record his third double-double in the last four games. Sullivan rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points, and led the team in the assist category with 6.

What's Next?
Today's loss closes the book on the 2018-19 season for the Majors. They finish with an overall record of 12-14. Those 12 wins are the most by a Millsaps men's basketball team since the 2009-10 squad finished the year 12-14 overall.