DANVILLE, Ky. - The Sewanee men's basketball team could not finish a defensive possession as the seconds wound down in regulation, and thanks to a layup by Centre's Jacob Bates, the Colonels downed the Tigers, 71-69, in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) regular season finale on Saturday at Alumni Gymnasium.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score: Centre (21-4, 11-3) 71, Sewanee (12-13, 6-8) 69
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HOW IT HAPPENED
-The teams went back-and-forth throughout the entire contest, totaling 10 ties and 14 lead changes in 40 minutes of action.

-Trailing 17-11 at the 11:43 mark in the first half, the Tigers would rally to take a 24-23 lead on a Jack Holloway layup. Tied at 27, Ryan Starr's 3-point field goal gave Sewanee the lead the rest of the half, posting a 33-29 lead at the break.

-The visitors were able to get the lead to nine 1:03 into the second half, but the hosts erased the deficit thanks to a three-point play by Art Walker to even the contest at 41 with 14:33 left in regulation.

-The teams traded the lead in a see-saw battle, with no team having more than a one-possession lead. With 1:11 left in the contest, Adrian Thomas found a frontcourt pass from Ryan Starr to give Sewanee the 66-65 edge. However, a foul on the other end gave the Colonels the lead back thanks to back-to-back free throws by Perry Ayers.

-After a missed layup for the Tigers with less than 30 seconds left, the visitors were forced to foul, and Ayers gave Centre a three-point lead, 69-66 with two more shots from the charity stripe.

-On Sewanee's next possession, with 15 seconds left, Jordan Warlick drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to tie the game at 69. However, Centre would have the last laugh. After a missed layup by Ayers, Jacob Bates put the ball back with up with less than a second left to secure the win.

-The Tigers finished the game shooting 51% (26-of-51) from the floor and 52% (13-of-25) from downtown.

-Centre is currently receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.Com poll. The Colonels were knocked out of the top 25 last week after back-to-back losses at Berry and Oglethorpe.

SEWANEE KEY STATISTICS
-Jordan Warlick led the Tigers with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.

-Joey Knox and Sean McDonough each added 12 points, while Adrian Thomas knocked down 10 points and grabbed seven boards.

CENTRE KEY STATISTICS
-Perry Ayers led the Colonels with a game-high 21 points and added seven boards, while Jacob Bates totaled 20 points and eight boards.

UP NEXT
The 2020 Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Tournament is set to begin next weekend. Sewanee finished the regular season as the 6-seed and will be on the road. Stay tuned to Sewanee Athletics online and on social media for updates and the bracket release.

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