Box Score SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Russ Marr netted a season-high 32 points and Sewanee lost a 17-point halftime lead but hung on to defeat Birmingham-Southern, 82-77, in men's basketball action here Sunday at Juhan Gymnasium.
Marr made a pair of 3-pointers in the game, none bigger than a triple with just over six minutes to play, only the second field goal in a six-minute stretch for the Tigers (10-12, 6-5), who have won five of their last six outings.
Sewanee had multiple chances to seal the game in the final minute, but a pair of turnovers and three missed free throws opened the door for the Panthers (13-10, 7-5). Eric Robinson made just 2-of-4 at the line for BSC on consecutive trips and after a short jumper from Brandan Copeland, Kalib Thomas missed a 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds remaining.
Fletcher Bigham finally iced the game for Sewanee with two free throws after the rebound on Thomas' miss, securing the victory and moving the Tigers into a three-way tie for third place in the conference standings.
Sewanee led 49-32 at the half and maintained a 59-46 lead after a layup by Avaliani with 13 minutes to play, but Birmingham-Southern ran off 11 straight points. Dylan Patrick started the run with a layup and Eric Robinson added a basket before a dunk by Davis cut the Tigers advantage to five.
Patrick made a jumper and Garrido connected on 1-of-2 foul shots, making it 59-57 Sewanee with 9:53 remaining. Avaliani's layup increased the lead to four and a putback by Marr pushed the lead to 65-60, but a 10-4 spurt by the Panthers gave the visitors their first lead since midway through the first half.
Davis scored underneath and Robinson made two free throws before consecutive 3-pointers by Tyler Andrews and Robinson for a 70-69 BSC edge with 4:30 to play.
Rashaun Williams made two free throws for the Tigers on the other end, putting the home team ahead for good.
Marr put together a personal 7-0 run that proved to be decisive, with the junior converting an old-fashioned 3-point play followed by two free throws and then a steal and a layup, the last bucket coming with 1:06 remaining in the game.
Marr made 10-of-17 overall from the field and 10-for-11 at the foul line, leading four players in double figures.
Luka Avaliani netted 11 points while Bigham and
Cody Baerlocher recorded 10 apiece off the bench.
Nolan Dean and Copeland paced the Panthers with 15 points each, followed by 14 from Brody Davis. Brandan Gerrido posted 11 points and Thomas had 10.
Senior
Blake Bouldin got the Tigers on the board with a 3-pointer and Marr added a triple after a layup from Williams, who collected another basket and 1-of-2 free throws before a steal and a layup by Bigham tied the game at 13.
Birmingham-Southern regained the lead thanks to a 3-pointer from gobinson and two free throws by Copeland. Baskets by Marr, Williams and Bigham gave Sewanee a 23-18 advantage midway through the period. Baerlocher's layup and two free throws from Marr increased the lead to 27-19 for the Tigers.
Sewanee maintained a 5-7 point edge for more than three minutes before ending the half on a 19-7 run, starting with a 3-pointer by Baerlocher and a layup by Bigham. The two added baskets, including a dunk from Baerlocher, before a beautiful driving layup off the glass from Marr pushed the lead to 42-28.
Marr added another field goal before two free throws from Avaliani and then two by Marr in the final minute. BSC made 3-of-8 from the field and committed five turnovers over the final six minutes of the half, with Bigham blocking a pair of shots that turned into points on the other end for the Tigers.
Sewanee finishes the regular season with three straight road games, traveling to Oglethorpe University and Berry College next weekend and Centre College on February 14.
