DANVILLE, Ky. - LaGrange's fantastic season closed out in the first round of the NCAA national tournament Thursday, as Centre topped the Panthers 78-71.

The Panthers (18-11) finished with historic firsts for the program. They won their first USA South Tournament championship and now have played in their first NCAA Division III national tournament.

The 18 wins were the most since the 2006-07 season, which was also the last winning season before this one.

"We played hard the entire game. Our guys played remarkable defense and kept their composure for 38 minutes of the game," Coach Kendal Wallace said. "But some untimely turnovers broke our backs.

"It's hard for us to play our game when we didn't get to the bonus either half, which has not happened all season. Centre did an incredible job of keeping their composure and they are well coached."

Four seniors closed out their LaGrange careers. Denzel Robinson and Dustin Baxter each had 11 points each, while Patrick Dugger had seven and Jerod Howard six. Dugger tied for game honors with eight rebounds.

The game was a see-saw affair with 15 lead changes and tied on six occasions. The Panthers enjoyed a 10-point lead, while the Colonels' largest lead was the final seven point margin.

The Panthers held the lead for over 15 minutes in the first half. Nick Mitchell, who led the Panthers with 23 points, started a 10-2 run that gave the Panthers a 22-12 lead with 12:07 left in the half.

The Colonels (24-4) came back and led 38-33 with 3:47 remaining. Mitchell, who had 14 points in the half, put the Panthers up 43-42 with a jumper. But Ryan Murray's 3-pointer in the closing seconds gave Centre a 45-43 halftime lead.

Mitchell converted a three-point play after making a steal to give the Panthers a 51-49 lead less than three minutes into the second half. The Colonels got the lead back with 6:29 remaining.

From there, the lead swapped hands six times. Mitchell gave the Panthers their last lead, 69-68, with four minutes left. 

Donovan Whiteside, who led all scorers with 24 points, hit a 3-pointer to put the Colonels ahead to stay, 71-69. The Colonels hit 5-of-6 at the free throw line and scored off a turnover to seal the win.

"I am very proud of our accomplishments this season and believe this was a great experience for all involved," Wallace said. "Our young guys have something to build on. Go Panthers!"