ATLANTA - The Sewanee men's basketball team used a strong second half to defeat the Eagles of Bridgewater, 79-76, Saturday evening in the opening game of the Comfort Inn and Suites Holiday Classic, hosted by Oglethorpe.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score: Sewanee (10-1) 79, Bridgewater (5-6) 76
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HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Tigers started the contest by knocking down the first six points of the game. The defense held the Eagles to their first points at the 17:23 mark. Sewanee had a 9-2 advantage in the first three minutes of the game.
-Bridgewater chipped away at the Sewanee lead, taking the lead with 7:41 left in the opening half, 24-23. After a missed layup by Josh Cammon, TJ Turner was there collect the offensive board and the tip-in to give the Eagles their first lead of the game.
-Sewanee would briefly get the lead back on a triple by Hunter Buescher with a little over 4:30 left in the period, 28-26, but Bridgewater finished the half on a 12-3 run to lead 38-31 at the break.
-The Tigers, trailing 46-40 with 16:24 left in regulation, earned the lead back once again with an 8-0 run in an about a 90-second span.
-After Sewanee took a 48-46 lead, the Virginia institution went on a 9-2 run to retake the lead, 55-50 with 12 minutes remaining.
-Sewanee would eventually recapture the lead on free throws after a Luke Smith shot from downtown to tie the score at 58 apiece.
-From there, the Purple and Gold created some separation, going on a 12-2 run in almost a five-minute span.
-The Eagles got the contest back to a one-point game with 12 seconds to go. Smith would drain two shots from the charity stripe and a missed three-pointer by the Eagles sealed the victory for the Tigers.
-Sewanee has won its third game this season when trailing at the half. In such games in the Mick Hedgepeth era, the Tigers are 4-3.
-This is the second meeting all-time between the two schools. The previous meeting came in the second round of the 1997 NCAA Championships. The Eagles took the contest, 65-62.
SEWANEE KEY STATISTICS
-Cam Caldwell scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half. The senior added nine rebounds and three blocks.
-Luke Smith posted 17 points, seven boards and four assists.
-Hunter Buescher added 13 points, six rebounds and four dimes.
-After a 36 percent (9-of-25) performance from the floor in the first half, the Tigers offense went to work, draining 16-of-30 for a 53.3 percentage.
BRIDGEWATER KEY STATISTICS
-Dimetri Chambers led the Eagles with 16 points, while Josh Cammon scored 13, collected six rebounds and recorded four steals.
UP NEXT
The final day of the Comfort Inn and Suites Holiday Classic happens Sunday with a contest against Ozarks (Ark.).