Drury Panthers (6-0) vs Central Christian Tigers (7-3)
Sat., Dec. 14, 2019 – 7 pm
O'Reilly Family Event Center
 
Tickets
$10, children 12 and under are FREE
Box Office: 417-873-7000
Order Online
 
Live Coverage
Radio:  JOCK 98.7 FM
Audio: www.jock987.com, TuneIn App
Live Video: GLVCNS.com/drury
Live Stats: DruryPanthers.com
 
Panthers retake the floor to host Central Christian
The Drury Panthers return to the floor for the first time since Dec. 3 when they host Central Christian on Saturday at 7 pm in the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
 
Drury is 6-0 and receiving votes in this week's NCAA-II coaches' poll. The Panthers are coming off of a 76-70 win in their Great Lakes Valley Conference opener against Southwest Baptist on Dec. 3.
 
Central Christian, an NAIA-I program and member of the Sooner Athletic Conference, is 7-3, but the Tigers have lost three of their last four. Central Christian lost at Haskell 71-53 on Dec. 5 in their last game. Two of the Tigers' other losses have been to nationally-ranked teams in the NAIA, however. They fell to 18th ranked Mid-America Christian 91-81 on Nov. 23 and to 13th ranked University of Sciences & Arts 104-92 on Nov. 21.
 
Drury enters Saturday's game led by Cal Hartley, averaging 16.7 points. The junior from Benton, Kansas, has made 21 of his 36 three-point attempts for a season percentage of .583. Conley Garrison, a junior from Bolivar, is averaging 15.8 points and needs 50 more points to reach the 1,000-point milestone in his career.
 
The Panthers are 6-0 all-time against Central Christian and won last year's meeting 100-78 on Dec. 7. Garrison led Drury with a career-high 36 points in last year's game.
 
After Saturday's contest, the Panthers return to action on Dec. 21 in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic. Drury will play Rollins next Saturday at 2 pm (Central), face either Pittsburg State or Montana State-Billings on Dec. 22 at either 2 pm or 4:15 pm (Central) on the second day of the four-team tournament. 
 
Drury at home
Drury is playing their fifth straight home game today and carries a 4-0 mark in the O'Reilly Family Event Center this season. The Panthers went 13-2 at home last season and won their last seven on their own court. Drury has gone 122-17 (.877) at the O'Reilly Family Event Center since it opened in 2010.
 
Players to Watch
DRURY
#13 Cal Hartley 16.7 ppg, 21/36 3-pt att. (.583)
#0 Conley Garrison 15.8 ppg, .508 FG pct, 5.2 ast pg
#4 Asa Hutchinson 12.0 ppg
 
Central Christian
#0 Isaiah Rivers 15.1 ppg, 1.5 steals pg
#4 TJ Williams 14.3 ppg, .829 FT pct
#15 Darrell Bryan 11.4 ppg, 8.8 reb pg
 
QUICK FACTS
Records
Drury: 6-0
CCC: 7-3
 
Head Coaches
DU: Steve Hesser (16th year, 329-126)
CCC: Tony Romero (11^th year)
 
Last Game
DU: Won vs Southwest Baptist 76-70 (Dec. 3 at DU)
CCC: Lost at Haskell 71-53 (Dec. 5 at Haskell)
 
Streak
DU: Won 6
CCC: Lost 1
 
All-Time Series
Drury is 6-0 vs Central Christian
 
Last Meeting
Drury 100 Central Christian 78 (Dec. 7, 2018, at DU)
 
Next
Panthers vs. Rollins, Sat., Dec. 21 – noon
Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic
 
#allweDUiswin