SHERMAN, Texas — The Millsaps men's basketball team pounced on Austin College, 69-59 on Wednesday afternoon inside Hughey Gymnasium.
Using a strong second half to secure the win, Millsaps (7-1) trailed by two at halftime but outscored Austin, 40-28 in the final 20 minutes, with a significant contribution of 30 points from its bench.
The Majors' defense played a pivotal role, forcing 19 turnovers and recording 10 steals. Austin College (2-5) was held to 34 percent from the field, including 17 percent from long range (5-for-30).
Junior Cameron Lumar scored 16 points, shooting 5-for-7 from the floor, 3-for-4 from behind the three-point line and 3-for-5 at the charity stripe. The Hahnville, La., native also recorded a defensive rebound and a steal on defense to shut down the Kangaroos in the midweek action.
Classmate Jaxon Toney added 11 points on the day and recorded a season-high four blocks against his opponents. Toney also shot 5-of-9 on the court, recorded five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Junior Rodney Phillips Jr. tied a season-high 10 points and added six rebounds, while shooting 4-for-8 from field-goal range.
Classmate Caleb Kent collected eight rebounds and contributed two blocks defensively. Fellow third-year student-athlete Davion James posted six points, four assists, five rebounds, and three steals.
Freshman Luke LeFors also netted a season-high nine points after sinking all three of his three-point opportunities.
The Kangaroos jumped out to a 6-0 advantage in the first minute following a pair of 3-pointers. Austin would make 5-of-6 shots to begin the game from downtown and led, 14-6 at the first media timeout. An ensuing 9-0 run made it 19-6 thereafter by the hosts.
LeFors answered by netting back-to-back treys to help buoy a 10-0 run to make it 19-16 only minutes later.
After battling back for the majority of the opening minutes, Phillips Jr. gave the Majors their first lead at 22-21 with 7:33 remaining on the opening half clock.
LeFors, the Baton Rouge, La., native then netted his third trey of the half, giving Millsaps its largest advantage before intermission at 27-23.
The teams would trade the lead down the stretch, with Austin holding a slim 31-29 margin at the break.
An 8-0 rally by the Majors greeted the Kangaroos with a 37-31 deficit in the opening moments of the second stanza.
The seesaw battle continued after a 10-0 burst by Austin. The Kangaroos pushed ahead, 51-50 with 8:21 left.
Phillips Jr. responded with two hard-bodied layups to give the Majors the lead back at 54-51 with five minutes to go.
Momentum would stay with the Millsaps side as Toney found a cutting Gasca for a swift layup, electrifying the Major bench.
The Kangaroos started hot from three-point range but ultimately missed their next and final 24 long-range shots.
Lumar netted a trey and began to put the game out of reach, making it 60-53.
Toney further cemented the second-half surge by converting an and-one layup with two minutes left.
Millsaps later completed the season sweep of the Kangaroos by a 69-59 tally with the final horn.
The Majors will remain on the road and challenge LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas on Thursday, starting at 5 p.m. Live video will be available via a FloCollege subscription with live stats provided at gomajors.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps College men's basketball program follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook and visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
