ROME, Ga. (Jan. 24, 2014) – A 53.3 field goal percentage, including a 14-of-21 effort in the first half, helped propel the Sewanee men's basketball team to a 77-65 victory over Southern Athletic Association (SAA) rival Berry, Friday, inside the Cage Center.
A week removed from its worst offensive performance of the season, the Tigers wasted little time against Vikings. Sewanee opened the contest making six out of its first nine shots en route to an early 14-7 lead.
Over the next five minutes, the Tigers maintained their lead. A pair of free throws by Clay Born and a three byMatt Tome pushed Sewanee's lead to 12, 25-13, with 7:05 left in the first half.
Moments later, field goals by Seth Brown, Robert Veal, and Keshonn Carter extended the Tiger advantage to 16, 37-21, right before halftime.
Jorden Williams then made a three at the buzzer, which gave Sewanee a 43-25 advantage to close the opening 20 minutes of play.
In the second half, Berry slowly chipped away. The Vikings used a 10-2 run with 12:23 left to cut their deficit to 52-49.
Needing a basket to slow Berry's momentum, Born connected on a three two possessions later. That score started an 8-4 run by Sewanee.
Berry would get to within one point, when the Vikings scored seven straight points during a 30 seconds spurt.
However, like they did all evening, Sewanee answered. Two free throws by Marcellus Caldwell and a layup by Wiliams pushed the lead back to five, 65-60, with 3:48 remaining.
After a free throw by Berry, back-to-back threes by Williams and Brown helped seal the win for the Tigers.
Along with its strong overall field goal percentage, Sewanee also made 82.6 percent of its attempts from the free throw line.
Defensively, the Tigers limited Berry to a 39.7 field goal percentage. Sewanee also outrebounded Berry, 39-26.
Individually, Williams led all scorers with a game-high 21 points. That total was only two points off his career-high set earlier this season. Brown also finished in double figures with 16 points while Carter added 12 points and Born pitched in 10.
Owen Jacobs led Berry with 16 points.
With its 10-5 overall record and 3-2 mark in SAA play, Sewanee will travel to No. 21 Oglethorpe, Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. (EST).
For more information on Sewanee Athletics, please visit www.SewaneeTigers.com. You can also check the Tigers out on Twitter and Facebook.