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Sewanee Tigers
avaliani vs Asbury
Hayden Regan
Nikolas Avaliani posted a career-high 32 points, fueled by seven three-pointers against Asbury
91
Asbury M-30243 0-8,0-0 CCS
106
Winner Sewanee M-652 1-7,0-0 SAA
Asbury M-30243
0-8,0-0 CCS
91
Final
106
Sewanee M-652
1-7,0-0 SAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Asbury M-30243 51 40 91
Sewanee M-652 54 52 106

Next Game:

at Welch College

12/8/2025 | 5 PM CT

Next Game

Full Schedule
Dec. 08 (Mon) / 5 PM CT
at Welch College
History

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Carrier, Avaliani lead Tigers to first win under Coach Merrell

SEWANEE, Tenn. – Behind career nights from Reid Carrier and Nikolas Avaliani and a season-high 18 made threes, Sewanee powered past Asbury 106-91 on Saturday inside Juhan Gymnasium, securing the first career win for Head Coach Will Merrell.

Carrier finished with 30 points and 10 assists, going a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc and 13-of-15 at the free-throw line. Avaliani added 32 points, hitting seven threes, while Fletcher Bigham posted 10 points, five blocks, four assists and two steals for another all-around performance. JD Gardner added 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds while Aidan Treacy and Phillips Ryan tallied five rebounds and two assists each. 

Sewanee shot 58 percent from the field and 55 percent from three while holding Asbury to 40 percent in the second half.

Sewanee opened the game on a 6-0 run, sparked by Jack Bakken, Gardner, and Bigham. The Tigers continued to push the pace early, and at the first media timeout they led 13-8 after Avaliani's first three of the afternoon.

Both teams then traded eight back-to-back three-pointers in a fast offensive stretch. Avaliani hit two straight threes, Bigham added one of his own, and Carrier buried his first triple to make it 27-20 midway through the half.

Asbury stayed close behind timely perimeter shooting from Cam Jones, Indred Whitaker, and Luke Imfeld. A burst from the Eagles trimmed the deficit to 29-30, but Sewanee responded with a 10-4 run as Carrier, Avaliani, and Amonett knocked down three more from deep.

The Tigers built their largest lead of the half at 51-43 after another Avaliani triple, but Asbury closed strong behind Tyler Hall, who scored six straight points. Sewanee held on to a 54-51 halftime lead after a late three by Avaliani, his sixth of the opening period.

Asbury scored the opening basket of the second half to cut the margin to one, but Sewanee immediately countered, Aidan Treacy drilled a three, Gardner converted a jumper, and Carrier scored on a driving layup to push the lead back to 61-55.

From there, the Tigers exploded offensively.

Carrier scored inside, Bigham finished in transition, and Carrier and Treacy combined for five straight points to stretch the advantage to 68-57. Moments later, Carrier buried another three, and Treacy followed with two free throws to extend the margin to 11.

Avaliani reignited from deep midway through the half, hitting two threes in a two-minute span, and Bakken and Amonett added layups as the Tigers opened up a 15-point lead with 12 minutes left.

From that point, Sewanee controlled the pace. Carrier continued to attack the rim and drew frequent fouls, hitting eight free throws in the final seven minutes. A Bigham three with 5:09 remaining pushed the lead to 93-76, and Carrier later knocked down another deep three to give Sewanee its largest lead at 102-83.

The Tigers closed out the win at the line, finishing 20-of-25 for the game and outscoring Asbury 52-40 in the second half.

Sewanee now hits the road for four straight games, traveling to Welch College and Covenant before competing in the Jack Berkshire Classic at Oglethorpe on Dec. 29-30, where the Tigers will face Brevard and LaGrange.
 
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Players Mentioned

Fletcher Bigham

#20 Fletcher Bigham

F
6' 8"
Junior
Reid Carrier

#3 Reid Carrier

G
6' 0"
Junior
JD Gardner

#2 JD Gardner

G
6' 3"
Junior
Aidan Treacy

#10 Aidan Treacy

G
6' 1"
Junior
Nikolas Avaliani

#22 Nikolas Avaliani

G
6' 4"
Freshman
Jack Bakken

#12 Jack Bakken

F
6' 7"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Fletcher Bigham

#20 Fletcher Bigham

6' 8"
Junior
F
Reid Carrier

#3 Reid Carrier

6' 0"
Junior
G
JD Gardner

#2 JD Gardner

6' 3"
Junior
G
Aidan Treacy

#10 Aidan Treacy

6' 1"
Junior
G
Nikolas Avaliani

#22 Nikolas Avaliani

6' 4"
Freshman
G
Jack Bakken

#12 Jack Bakken

6' 7"
Freshman
F