Box Score GALLATIN, Tenn. –
Fletcher Bigham posted 21 points and a career-high 21 rebounds and
Reid Carrier and
Aidan Treacy added 15 points apiece, as Sewanee used an 11-2 run midway through the second half, pulling away for an 81-65 victory over Welch College here Monday night in men's basketball action.
The Tigers (2-6) started the game with a 9-0 run and led by 11 points at the half. The Flames kept hanging around and trailed by seven with 8:21 to play after a 3-pointer from Scooter Crockett.
Bigham recorded six consecutive points to begin the 11-2 spurt and after two technical free throws by Carrier,
JD Gardner made a 3-pointer from the wing, stretching the Sewanee advantage to 73-57 with 4:56 remaining.
Nikolas Avaliani, who finished with 13 points off the bench, made a long two-pointer and added two foul shots in the final minute. Carrier collected nine boards and four assists to go with his 15 points.
Draven Smith paced the Flames with 16 points, Crockett registered 13 and Jonah Randall added 12 for Welch.
The Tigers scored the first nine points of the game, including two baskets from Treacy, though the Flames answered with a 9-2 spurt after one field goal and two free throws by Smith and a 3-pointer by Isak Eriksson.
Avaliani hit a runner in the lane and
Philip Ryan made a triple from the top of the key for Sewanee before two more layups from Tracy. Fletcher and Carrier each added baskets, but two 3-pointers from Crockett and a triple by Easton Truett pulled the Flames within 24-19.
Crockett collected a layup to make it a three-point game with nine minutes left in the half but Tracy scored twice more and
Jack Bakken posted a fastbreak dunk for the Tigers. Welch did not score a field goal for almost three minutes later in the period, with Sewanee netting nine straight points during the drought, including two field goals by Fletcher and a 3-pointer from the corner from Tracy for a 39-25 advantage.
Carrier hit a triple with two minutes to play in the half and Fletcher's putback dunk gave the Tigers a 46-35 lead at intermission. Tracy posted 15 points while Bigham collected eight points and 12 boards and Carrier netted nine points in the first 20 minutes for Sewanee.
The Tigers kept the lead between eight and 11 points for much of the second half, with Avaliani and Bigham each hitting 3-pointers and Bakken adding two field goals. Smith kept the Flames in the contest at the foul line, making all six attempts, before Sewanee's decisive run put the game away.
The Tigers play at Covenant College on Wednesday at 5 p.m. CT.
