SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Luka Avaliani netted 21 points,
Fletcher Bigham collected 20 and Sewanee jumped ahead early before pulling away in the second half in a 94-63 win against Hendrix in men's basketball action Sunday in Conway, Ark.
The two teams will play again next Sunday in the quarterfinals of the SAA Championships at Sewanee at a yet-to-be-determined time. The Tigers (17-8, 9-3 SAA) finished second in the regular season standings.
Avaliani and Bigham each made 8-of-13 shots from the field and Bigham grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
Russ Marr and
Graham Smith each connected on three 3-pointers and Marr posted 18 points, seven boards and four assists.
Sewanee led 10-4, 16-9 and 25-13 in the first half before the Warriors (2-23, 0-12) put together a 16-4 run to pull within a point. Tyler Deithloff made four of his five 3-pointers during the spurt, but Avaliani and
Eli Holland both made layups and
Reid Carrier drilled a corner three for a 40-33 Tigers lead at the half.
Sewanee opened the second half with a 16-6 run highlighted by six points from Bigham and 3-pointers from
Tre Corrigan and Marr. The Tigers stretched the lead to 70-49 midway through the period behind two free throws from Marr, a 3-pointer by Smith and baskets from Avaliani and Holland.
Hendrix never got closer than 16 points the rest of the way and Sewanee pushed the advantage to 88-58 thanks to a 14-0 spurt. Bigham collected the first six points, including a three, Marr added a triple and
Ben Folk put the icing on the cake with his own 3-pointer with just over four minutes to play.
Deithloff was the only Hendrix player in double figures, finishing with 25 points. The Warriors shot just 32 percent in the second half, including 3-of-18 from behind the arc.
Marr and Smith each made 3-pointers and Marr and Avaliani both had layups, helping the Tigers jump out to a 10-4 lead four minutes into the game. Holland connected on two free throws and recorded a layup before a basket by Avaliani increased the lead to 16-9.
The Warriors pulled within 18-13 on a jumper by Colten Berry before Smith hit another three that started a 7-0 spurt by Sewanee. Bigham posted a pair of field goals for a 25-13 Tigers advantage with eight minutes left in the half.
Deithloff recorded four 3-pointers and Berry finished a 3-point play, part of a 16-4 run by Hendrix. Avaliani's layup at the five-minute mark was the only field goal for the Tigers in more than seven minutes before Holland scored underneath, Avaliani collected another layup and then assisted on a triple by Carrier in the corner.
Carson Bower registered a basket and Houston Likens hit a three for the Warriors in the final minute of the half, cutting the Sewanee lead to 40-33. The Tigers turned eight Hendrix turnovers into 10 points in the first 20 minutes.
