SEWANEE, Tenn. (Feb. 7, 2016) – A great defensive effort led Southern Athletic Association (SAA) rival Birmingham-Southern to a 59-53 win over the Sewanee men's basketball team, Sunday, inside Juhan Gymnasium.

The loss snapped the Tigers' 13 games SAA home winning streak and dropped Sewanee to 14-7 overall and 7-3 in league play. The league-leading Panthers now have a commanding SAA regular season lead at 15-6 overall and 10-0 in SAA action.

After BSC opened with a 7-0 run, Sewanee fought its way back into the contest. The Panthers led by as much as 11, before Sewanee went on a quick scoring run. A three by Cody Jones, and another by Byron Turner, sparked an 8-0 run by the Tigers.

Eventually, BSC led by five, 28-23, at the half. In the final 20 minutes, the game stayed competitive. After three straight points from Keshonn Carter, Sewanee opened an 11-2 run midway through the second. That allowed Sewanee to take a two-point lead, 36-34, with 13:10 to play.

Both teams continued to trade scores over the next eight minutes. During that stretch, BSC and Sewanee never built a lead by more than a possession. With the score tied at 48-48, BSC took a one-point advantage after a James McLean free throw.

BSC then took a three-point advantage when Evan Lewis put back a jumper. After Jones missed his next three, the Panthers finally took control with 1:32 left. After an Ian Thom defensive rebound, senior Ross Welch hit a clutch three from the top of the key to push BSC in front by six, 54-48.

Sewanee did manage to get the score back to a possession with under a minute to play, after a Carter jumper and a three by Jones.

However, two free throws and a physical layup with 13 seconds left by Thom kept the Panthers ahead.

Overall, Sewanee struggled from the field making only 36.2 percent of its shots. The Tigers did manage seven offensive rebounds, which helped offset the rare slow offensive output.

Individually, both Jones and Carter finished with 15 points. Brody Stone added two points to go along with 12 rebounds.

Thom led BSC with 16 points while Alex Avery added six points and 12 rebounds.

Sewanee continues its season with an 8:00 p.m. contest Friday at Hendrix.

For more information on Sewanee Athletics, please visit www.SewaneeTigers.com. You can also check the Tigers out on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr.