SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Fletcher Bigham and
Russ Marr each posted 26 points and Bigham tipped in the game-winning basket in overtime in Sewanee's 84-83 victory at Rhodes College in men's basketball action Friday night.
The Tigers (16-8, 8-3 SAA) led 77-72 with 2:27 to play in regulation after a dunk by Bigham and a basket plus the foul from Marr, but Sewanee failed to score until the extra period. Phil Dotson made two free throws for the Lynx with 1:24 remaining and he added a layup with 40.4 seconds on the clock. After a Tiger turnover, Shawn Jones, Jr., made the first of a 1-and-1 but missed the second with 18.6 seconds to play.
Sewanee had one last chance in a tie game but
Tre Corrigan's long 3-pointer was no good and the teams headed to overtime.
Marr made a 3-pointer to open the extra period and
Luka Avaliani connected on 1-of-2 foul shots before Dotson banked in a heave at the end of the shot clock for a 3-pointer. Marr's one free throws with two minutes remaining tied the game at 82.
Marr missed a layup but Bigham was right there for a tip-in with 46.7 seconds on the clock. Dotson was fouled with 36.9 seconds to play and made one foul shot. Marr then drove to the basket again in the final 15 seconds but his finger-roll bounced three times on the rim before falling off.
Rhodes (12-12, 5-6) rushed up the court and called timeout with 5.0 seconds remaining, but the inbounds pass was knocked away by Avaliani and gathered by Marr, who flung the ball to the opposite end of the floor to run out the clock.
The victory keeps the Tigers in second place in the SAA, one game behind Berry and one game ahead of Centre. Sewanee ends the regular season Sunday at Hendrix at 3 p.m.
Bigham connected on 13-of-17 shot attempts and grabbed 10 rebounds while Marr was 5-for-7 from 3-point range. Avaliani recorded 19 points and six assists and
Graham Smith added 10 boards as well for Sewanee.
Dotson finished with a game-high 27 points and Jones, Jr., netted 24 points and 11 rebounds. Jackson Huxtable pulled down 18 boards for the Lynx.
Marr made a 3-pointer and Bigham collected a pair of baskets, helping Sewanee to a 10-4 lead three minutes into the game. Jones, Jr., netted six straight for the Lynx to tie the contest at 10 before a field goal by Smith and consecutive triples from Marr put the Tigers in front, 18-12.
Rhodes answered with a 10-0 run, including an old-fashioned 3-point play as well as a 3-pointer from Dotson, but a Corrigan three pulled the Tigers within, 24-23, with nine minutes left in the half. Avaliani netted three straight baskets and Marr made another triple for a 34-28 Sewanee edge.
The Lynx registered 12 of the next 14 points, as the momentum went back-and-forth. Dotson made a layup and then a 3-pointer before a basket by Kaleb Green and a field goal and a triple from Trevor Lombard.
Bigham got his own miss for a putback and Marr scored a layup plus the foul late in the period. Jones, Jr., connected on another three and Huxtable made a triple in the last 10 seconds of the half, giving Rhodes a 46-43 advantage at intermission.
Jones, Jr., collected two quick baskets for a 50-45 Lynx edge before Marr and Bigham answered with baskets for the Tigers. From there neither team held a lead more than four points until the final two minutes of the second period.
The Tigers trailed 55-51 after two free throws from Jack Dempsey four minutes into the half but posted a 9-3 run that included two baskets from Bigham, a 3-point play by Avaliani and two foul shots from
Reid Carrier.
Huxtable's tip-in tied the game at 62 with 10 minutes to play and Lombard's 3-pointer knotted the contest at 72 with 4:40 remaining, setting up the final stretch of regulation.
