SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Olivia Falvey and
Cydney Wright each posted 20-point games and Sewanee made 26-for-32 at the foul line including 6-of-8 in the final minute, outlasting Birmingham-Southern, 81-77, to sweep the season series in women's basketball action here Sunday at Juhan Gymnasium.
The Tigers (6-16, 4-7 SAA) made all 10 attempts at the foul line in the third quarter and 7-of-11 in the final period, attacking the basket the entire second half and holding off the Panthers (5-18, 2-10).
After combining for 50 points in the second quarter, neither team scored for more than three minutes in the third period, with Falvey's layup and two free throws by Wright putting the Tigers in front, 45-42.
Faith Humphrey's two foul shots made it 51-50 Tigers with 3:36 left in the quarter before the Panthers posted a 7-0 spurt thanks to two baskets by Montana Harris and a 3-pointer from Maya Cable.
Wright added two more free throws and Falvey collected a layup, cutting the deficit to three, but Sheraton Foster's heave from 30-feet swished at the buzzer for a 60-55 BSC advantage.
Sewanee erased the deficit quickly to open the fourth quarter with a layups from Wright and Falvey and 1-of-2 foul shots by Falvey, knotting the game at 60.
Faith Humphrey's layup tied the contest again and back-to-back 3-pointers by Falvey and
Brianna Keating-Rendon put the Tigers ahead, 68-62, midway through the period.
Lilly Phillips added another triple for Sewanee, keeping the lead at six, but two straight field goals by Harris made it a two-point game. Falvey's short jumper stretched the edge back to four with two minutes remaining and a layup by Humphrey gave the Tigers a 75-69 lead with 1:29 to play.
Wright connected on 1-of-2 free throws twice in a 15-second stretch but the Tigers kept putting BSC at the line as well, with Harris making two and Foster netting all four of her attempts in the last minute. Humphrey's two shots with 21.5 seconds and two more by Phillips with 11.0 seconds remaining iced the game for Sewanee.
Falvey finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds and Wright netted 21. Phillips made four 3-pointers and collected 14 points and
Kayla Antoine recorded 12 points. Wright and Antoine each grabbed seven boards.
Cable led the Panthers with 21 points while Harris and Foster each posted 20.
The Panthers scored the first six points of the game but the Tigers answered with an 8-0 spurt, including layups by Antoine and Falvey and a 3-pointer from Phillips. The run was part of a larger 15-3 stretch for Sewanee, with Antoine and Falvey each hitting two foul shots and Falvey netting a triple.
Harris scored four straight points for Birmingham-Southern before another three by Phillips and Sewanee took an 18-15 advantage after one period.
BSC put together a 9-1 spurt early in the second quarter, sparked by a 3-pointer by Cable, who netted two foul shots before a layup Ajailah Ogiemwonyi gave the Panthers a 25-21 edge. Wright made a layup and Phillips connected on her third 3-pointer of the half on the next possession and the teams traded baskets for the final six minutes of the half.
Antoine netted a pair of layups and Wright completed an old-fashioned 3-point play before a triple by Falvey knotted the game at 36. Antoine added another layup and Wright hit a 3-pointer, but Cable's two foul shots with just over a minute remaining put the Panthers in front, 42-41, at intermission.
Wright led the Tigers with 11 points while Antoine and Falvey registered 10 apiece and Phillips posted nine. Cable paced BSC with 11 points and Foster added nine.
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.
