SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Fletcher Bigham made five 3-pointers and posted 21 points and 10 rebounds, his ninth double-double of the season, but Sewanee was unable to complete a double-digit comeback, dropping a 71-64 decision to Rhodes College in men's basketball action here Friday night at Juhan Gymnasium.
The Tigers (5-8, 0-2 SAA) missed numerous chances in the final five minutes to erase a seven-point deficit, missing five shots and committing three turnovers from the 4:59 mark until Bigham connected on two foul shots with 53.2 seconds remaining. Rhodes (10-3, 1-1) scored only three points during the four-plus minutes, all free throws, but was able to hold off Sewanee.
The Lynx held the lead for more than 10 minutes in the first half, building a 13-point edge midway through the period with an 11-2 spurt.
Nikolas Avaliani's basket pulled the Tigers within, 15-11, before a field goal by Trevor Lombard and two foul shots from Tyler Jasek started the run.
Jackson Huxtable got a dunk after a turnover and Mason Bennett and Huxtable added baskets for a 26-13 advantage with nine minutes left in the half. The Tigers netted eight consecutive points thanks to a layup from
JD Gardner and 3-pointers from
Jacob Amonett and Bigham, getting within three. The teams traded baskets and Rhodes led, 37-32, at the break.
Avaliani,
Jack Bakken and Bigham each posted field goals in the first two minutes of the second period, cutting the deficit to 41-39. Huxtable's triple and layup began a 14-4 spurt for the Lynx, with Huxtable adding another basket and Lombard hitting a jumper. Sam Maddox's 3-pointer and a layup from Shawn Jones, Jr., put Rhodes in front, 55-43, with 13 minutes to play.
Bigham connected on two straight 3-pointers, both from well behind the arc, forcing a timeout by the visitors, but the Lynx responded with six consecutive points, including field goals by Lombard, Mason Bennett and Huxtable.
The lead stayed above 10 until Amonett drained his second triple and Avaliani scored two straight baskets, making it 65-58 with five minutes to go, but that's when the drought started for both teams. Rhodes did not make a field goal for the final 6:25 of the game, netting just six free throws during that stretch.
Huxtable led all scorers with 22 points while Lombard contributed 15, Maddox finished with 14 and Jones, Jr., added 11 points and eight rebounds.
Avaliani netted 12 points and
Aidan Treacy posted 11. Sewanee committed 20 turnovers in the game, which led to 22 points by the Lynx.
Sewanee hosts Millsaps College this Sunday at 2 p.m., ending a three-game homestand to begin conference play.
