SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Fletcher Bigham and
Philip Ryan each posted double-doubles and
Nikolas Avaliani netted 25 points, but Covenant College used an 18-8 spurt late in the game and held off Sewanee, 110-109, in the final game of the Lon Varnell Classic in men's basketball action here Saturday at Juhan Gymnasium.
The Tigers (0-3) led 52-43 at the half and 63-53 four minutes into the second period, but that advantage diminished thanks to nine consecutive points by the Scots, including back-to-back 3-pointers from Logan Patterson and Zach Wescher. Bigham and Ryan each recorded field goals and
Brock Barton made a three for the Tigers, stretching the lead to 73-66 with 12 minutes to play.
Another triple by Patterson and two foul shots from Pierce Smith pulled Covenant even at 76. Sewanee did not lose the lead at that point, with Ryan hitting both ends of a 1-and-1, but Isaac Rorey's 3-pointer from the wing seconds later put the Scots in front, 80-79.
Bigham made two straight baskets and Avaliani nailed a three from the corner, one of five in the game for the freshman. Two free throws by Bigham put Sewanee in front, 88-83, with seven minutes remaining.
The home team led 92-87 with 5:45 to play when a banked in 3-pointer by Covenant's Luuk Dusek started the decisive run. Smith's layup and two foul shots by Patterson knotted the contest at 94 with 4:40 on the clock.
Field goals from
Aidan Treacy and
Reid Carrier and another by Bigham evened the game at 100 with just over three minutes remaining, but the Tigers scored just two points over the next two-plus minutes, going 1-for-4 from the field with two turnovers.
Jake Stephens netted the first two of five foul shots in the final three minutes for the Scots and a steal by Rorey turned into a layup for Korbin Long. Ryan's coast-to-coast layup cut the deficit to 105-102 with 1:20 on the clock, but Stephens added two more free throws.
Smith tipped in a missed layup with 23.4 seconds on the clock and Long netted the second of two foul shots with 13.6 ticks on the clock. Avaliani's final heave found the bottom of the net as the buzzer sounded, giving Covenant the victory.
Avaliani finished with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting overall, 5-for-10 from behind the arc, and Ryan collected 22 points and eight rebounds. Bigham put up another monster game with 35 points and 16 boards.
Sewanee committed 11 turnovers that turned into 11 points for Covenant in the second half, with the Scots shuffling in five players at a time every 90 seconds to two minutes the entirely of the contest. The Scots also recorded 23 second-chance points on 28 offensive rebounds, a big difference in the game. The Tigers have lost three games by a combined nine points this week.
Smith registered 16 points and a game-high 18 rebounds along with six blocks in 22 minutes of action while Patterson netted 19 points, leading five Covenant players in double figures.
Sewanee travels to Piedmont University next Saturday before returning home November 30 to face Berea College.
