SEWANEE, Tenn. - The University of the South men's basketball team went back and forth with the Majors of Millsaps College on Friday night from Juhan Gymnasium. With Sewanee not having played in over a month, the team was forced to play 45 minutes of basketball in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) affair, and it was the Tigers who made clutch free throws down the stretch to earn the 86-83 victory.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score: Sewanee (4-7, 1-1) 86, Millsaps (2-9, 0-1) 83 | OT
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HOW IT HAPPENED
-The teams traded points back-and-forth, but it was the visitors who had the lead for 18:14 of the frame and held on to a 37-34 lead at the break.
-Sewanee would reclaim the lead for the first time since an early 5-2 score less than a minute into the second half, but the seesaw battle in the first 20 minutes continued into the final 20 minutes of regulation.
-Millsaps, after a 3-pointer by Cameron Williams, made it a seven-point affair, 73-66, with two minutes left in regulation. Sewanee used a
John Crump three-pointer and a
Russ Marr jumper to make it a two-point game.
-Following a timeout, the visitors posted a crucial layup with 25 seconds remaining to push the deficit for the Purple and White to two possessions, 75-71. The Majors decide to foul and put
Luka Avaliani on the charity stripe, where he entered the game converting eight of 18 shots from that part of the floor. The freshman knocked down both free throws to push the deficit back to two points, 75-73.
-On their next possession, Sewanee fouls to send Bryce Brown to the line for a 1-and-1. However, he fails on converting the front-end, and a
Blake Bouldin rebound gave Sewanee the ball with 12 seconds left. However, with Sewanee still in the 1-and-1, Millsaps fouls Avaliani again in the backcourt. Once again, he drained both shots to even the score at 75. After a desperation shot from Millsaps on the other end, the game was forced to overtime.
-After the teams traded buckets early in the extra period,
Tre Corrigan knocked two key free throws with 2:34 left to give Sewanee the lead for good. Despite the Purple and White converting one field goal in OT, they did go a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.
SEWANEE KEY STATISTICS
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Russ Marr posted a 7-of 15 mark from the floor and finished with 23 points. The freshman also added seven boards.
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Luka Avaliani knocked down four key free throws late in regulation to force the game to overtime. The freshman finished with his first career double-double, earning a personal-best 18 points and 10 boards.
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Colin Kahl, despite playing into foul trouble, posted 17 points on 7-of-9 from the floor in 21 minutes, while
Tre Corrigan added 11 points in the second half and overtime.
MILLSAPS KEY STATISTICS
-Cameron Williams matched a career-best 29 points in the loss with eight boards.
-Newton Gillihan posted 15 points and seven boards.
UP NEXT
Sewanee will conclude the weekend homestand on Sunday with a contest versus Birmingham-Southern.
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