Box Score SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Fletcher Bigham scored 19 points,
Graham Smith added 16 and Sewanee posted an 18-4 advantage to start the game, but Centre evened the game before halftime and pulled away in the second half in an 81-74 victory over the Tigers in men's basketball action Wednesday night in Danville, Ky.
Luka Avaliani recorded 10 points and nine assists and
Russ Marr finished with 11 points for the Tigers (11-14, 7-7 SAA), who made just 8-of-27 from behind the arc and shot 39 percent overall from the field. Sewanee made 7-of-10 shots to start the game but just 19-of-56 (.339) the rest of the way.
Centre (12-13, 7-7) trailed by one at the half and took the lead for good with an 11-0 spurt after Smith's basket to start the second period. The Tigers never tied the game the rest of the way.
Carter Baughman paced the Colonels with 17 points, one of five Centre players in double figures. The home team connected on 10-of-22 from 3-point range, including three apiece by Baughman and Carson Wooldridge.
Bigham made a 3-pointer and a layup to start the game and Avaliani added an old-fashioned 3-point play for a quick 8-2 Tigers lead. Sewanee extended the advantage to 13-4 thanks to a 3-pointer and a layup by Smith five minutes into the game.
Avaliani recorded a layup and a 3-pointer from
Reid Carrier made it 18-4 with 13 minutes left in the half. Centre answered with a 15-5 spurt over the next six minutes, including 3-pointers by Jaxson Banks and Wooldridge. Baskets by Cade Stinnett and Landen Hamilton and a triple from Izayiah Villafuerte made it 23-19 Tigers with seven minutes remaining in the period.
Cody Baerlocher's 3-pointer for Sewanee was matched by a three from Wooldridge and Baughman's triple cut the Tigers lead to 28-25. Baughman added another 3-pointer to even the game at 32, but layups by Bigham and Smith gave Sewanee a 36-35 edge at the half.
Smith netted the first basket of the second half before an 11-0 spurt by the Colonels, with a layup and two free throws by Stinnett, a 3-pointer from Baughman and a dunk by Caleb Maul for a 46-38 Centre lead.
Bigham's jumper ended the run and one free throw from Marr and a field goal by Avaliani cut the deficit to 46-43 and a 3-pointer by Bigham made it 48-46 Centre. Villafuerte and Wooldridge answered with triples for the home team, extending the lead to 57-48 midway through the second half.
Baskets by Marr and
Tre Corrigan and two free throws from Baerlocher trimmed the margin to five, but Landen Hamilton answered with a 3-pointer for the Colonels and Sewanee did not score for more than three minutes. Maul's dunk stretched the advantage to 65-54 with 4:40 remaining.
Marr made two free throws and Smith's old-fashioned 3-point play kept the Tigers in it, but a putback by Maul off an air ball made it a 10-point game again with 2:50 remaining. Smith recorded a layup before two free throws from Carrier, who then netted a 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to 72-67 with just under two minutes to play.
Baughman and Marr traded baskets and after Baughman made one free throw, Avaliani drove for a layup, making it 75-71 with 45.1 seconds remaining. Baughman connected on two foul shots and Avaliani's shot was blocked on the other end, leading to two more free throws by Baughman.
Carrier netted a 3-pointer with 12.9 seconds on the clock but Villafuerte posted two foul shots in the final seconds for the Colonels.
Sewanee opens play in the SAA Championships against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
