SEWANEE, Tenn. – Fletcher Bigham netted a career-high 35 points and 20 rebounds and Nikolas Avaliani added 16, but Sewanee turned the ball over in the closing seconds of overtime without attempting a tying shot, dropping a 92-87 decision to Maryville College in the season opener for the Tigers in men's basketball action here Tuesday night.
 
The contest featured 10 ties and 15 lead changes, many of those in the second half and overtime.
 
Sewanee trailed 14-4 to start the game but battled back and was down 41-38 at the half. The Tigers started the second period with a 10-1 run to take the lead, with Bigham and Avaliani each netting four points, but the Scots (3-0) answered with a 14-4 spurt over the next three-plus minutes.
 
Jackson Garner and Jamal Ware each made a pair of 3-pointers during the stretch and the duo combined for 54 points, 32 from Garner with eight 3-pointers (Ware added five triples).
 
Maryville led 64-62 midway through the second half before an 11-4 run by the Tigers. Bigham connected on a pair of 3-pointers and Reid Carrier, who finished with 11 points, hit another for a 73-68 advantage with seven minutes to play.
 
Maryville regained the lead when Garner and Ware netted the next seven points and back-to-back triples by Garner a minute later put the Scots in front, 81-75, with 3:35 to play. Sewanee answered again, though, with a 6-1 mini-run to even the score, with Avaliani making both ends of a 1-and-1 before a short jumper from Bigham. Carrier then nailed a 3-pointer in front of the Tigers bench to make it 82-all with just over a minute left in regulation.
 
Sewanee caused a turnover, knocking away a pass, but Carrier's 10-footer was no good on the other end. Garner drove to the basket in the final five seconds for a layup, but the ball hit multiple parts of the rim, bouncing off and sending the game to overtime.
 
Bigham started the extra period with a 3-pointer and then a tough jumper off the glass, but Sewanee failed to score again in overtime. Garner posted his eighth triple of the game and Chase Morgan got his own rebound for a putback before Ware's run-out dunk after a turnover gave the Scots a 90-87 edge with two minutes on the clock.
 
The Tigers committed three turnovers and missed all three shots in the last four minutes in overtime but still had a chance with 20 seconds to play. The final miscue led to an easy layup for Garner with 3.1 seconds remaining.
 
Maryville hurt the Tigers on the offensive boards, grabbing 22 of its own misses and converting those into 27 second-chance points. The Scots also made 13-of-28 from 3-point range, all of them by Garner and Ware, who were a combined 13-for-20.
 
Fletcher hit 13-of-22 shots overall and 6-for-14 from behind the arc while grabbing 20 rebounds, more than half the team total of 39.
 
Sewanee hosts the Lon Varnell Classic this weekend, taking on Bob Jones University on Friday at 7 p.m. and Covenant College on Saturday at 4 p.m.