CONWAY, Ark. (Feb. 12, 2016) – A balanced offensive effort with four starters in double figures led the Sewanee men's basketball team to a 66-57 win at Southern Athletic Association (SAA) rival Hendrix, Friday, at Grove Gymnasium.
The Tigers are now 15-7 overall and 8-3 in league play. Hendrix dropped to 3-19 overall and 2-9 in SAA action. With their eighth league win, Sewanee has almost locked up the second seed in the SAA Tournament that will take place later this month. Birmingham-Southern locked up the league regular season championship at 11-0 after its win against Berry, Friday.
After Hendrix opened the contest with a 13-7 lead, Sewanee answered back midway through the first half. A jumper by Cody Jones at the 11:08 mark sparked a 9-4 run by the Tigers. That led to a 16-16 tie with 8:21 left in the first half.
From there, the score remained close until halftime. In fact, neither team led by more than five points the final 3:55 to play until intermission. Down one with 2:08 left, senior Keshonn Carter pushed Sewanee in front with a jumper. After a Carter layup with just over a minute remaining, Jacob McCullough pushed the Tiger lead to three, 28-25, heading into the break.
Out of the locker room, Sewanee kept rolling. The Tigers outscored Hendrix 14-8 over the first five minutes of the second half. After a three by Jones with 14:42 to go, Sewanee lead the Warriors 42-33.
The Warriors eventually rallied with a run of their own. Hendrix pulled to within a possession at the 10:47 mark after Bryce Parker completed a traditional three-point play.
Despite that rally, Hendrix still could not slow Sewanee. The Tigers answered back with a 10-2 run to push their advantage back to eight, 53-45.
From there, Hendrix would not get to within four points. Down the stretch, key free throws by Carter, McCullough, and a late dunk by Brody Stone, sealed the win.
Overall, Sewanee made 42.9 percent of its shots. On the opposite end of the floor, the Tigers continued to show why they remain one of the top defensive teams in the league. Sewanee limited Hendrix to a 36.8 field-goal percentage.
Individually, McCullough scored a career-high 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Carter added 15 points, nine rebounds, and five assists while Jones pitched in 14 points. Additionally, Stone added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Preston Smith led Hendrix with 12 points.
Sewanee returns to action with a 3:00 p.m. contest at rival Rhodes, Sunday.
For more information on Sewanee Athletics, please visit www.SewaneeTigers.com. You can also check the Tigers out on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr.