Box Score KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Sewanee men's basketball team used a 64.5% mark in the second half from the field to force overtime, but it was not enough as the Tigers dropped a non-conference contest to the Royals of Johnson University in double overtime, 107-99, Tuesday evening from the Doug Karnes Arena.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score: Johnson (9-5) 107, Sewanee (7-3) 99 (2OT)
Sewanee Athletics Social Media | Twitter/Instagram: @SewaneeTigers
Men's Basketball Social Media | Twitter/Snapchat: @SewaneeHoops | Instagram: @sewanee_mbb
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Sewanee struggled early in the contest. After an Adrian Thomas layup one minute into the contest to even the game with two points each, Johnson went on a 10-1 run in about a 2:30 span. After that, thanks to two Jordan Warlick layups and a triple from Joey Knox, the Tigers made it a 12-10 affair.
-The Royals were able to get the lead up to 20 points in the first half thanks to a 27-9 run in about a 10-minute span, as the hosts led the contest, 39-19 with 5:18 left in the first half.
-Johnson took a 42-24 halftime lead into the locker room, and after each team traded layups to start the second half, the Tigers began their comeback.
-With 4:01 left in regulation, a Michael Barry shot from downtown evened the game back up for the first time since the 19-minute mark in the first half at 67 points each.
-After a turnover, Ryan Starr hit another shot from beyond the arc to give Sewanee its first lead of the contest, 70-67, with 3:32 left in regulation.
-After the teams traded the lead back-and-forth, trailing 81-80 with less than 30 seconds left in regulation, Warlick found Thomas' pass in the paint and nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing with 25 seconds left in regulation.
-However, the Royals forced overtime on the next possession after Estiven Estacio made a lay-up with 12 seconds left at 83 points each.
-Thomas missed a crucial layup as time wound down that would have given Sewanee the victory.
-In the first overtime, Sewanee went on a 7-2 run to push the lead to five points, 90-85, but Coby Jones made two free throws late in the period to force a second overtime tied at 93.
-In the second overtime, despite Warlick dropping the first basket of the period to give Sewanee a 96-93 advantage, the Royals went on a 12-0 run to seal the contest away.
SEWANEE KEY STATISTICS
-Adrian Thomas, the reigning Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Player of the Week, improved his career-best from Saturday to a game-high 41-point performance on Tuesday. The Chattanooga, Tenn. native made 15-of-25 from the field and 10-of-13 from the charity stripe.
-Thomas helped lead the Tigers back in the second half with 36 of the team's 69 points in the final 20 minutes of regulation and the first overtime.
-Now at 941 career points, Thomas is 59 points away from 1,000 in his career.
-Joey Knox added 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, while Jordan Warlick posted 13 points and eight boards.
-Ryan Starr notched a double-double in 49 minutes. The sophomore recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds, adding six assists, three steals and two blocks.
-As a team, the Tigers recovered from an 18-point halftime deficit thanks to 59 points on 20-of-31 shooting (64.5%) and 9-of-17 (52.9%) from downtown.
JOHNSON KEY STATISTICS
-Coby Jones posted 38 points on 14-of-24 shooting with eight rebounds and four steals and assists each.
-Gavin Grubb added 24 points and six boards for the Royals.
UP NEXT
Sewanee will next be in action Dec. 29-30 at the Hampden-Sydney College Classic. The Tigers will open the tournament with the Panthers of Ferrum on Dec. 29 at 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT.
For the latest news on the Sewanee Tigers, follow @SewaneeTigers on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.
