LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. - The University of the South and Covenant College had two ballers with 50 points in the game, but it was Sewanee, led by Russ Marr's 50, who prevailed over Covenant in overtime, 108-100, Tuesday night inside Barnes PE Center. The win, not only matches last season's win total of six, but the Tigers have improved the win streak to five games. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score: Sewanee (6-3) 108, Covenant (2-6) 100 (OT)
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HOW IT HAPPENED
-Sewanee got out to a hot start, knocking down the first seven points of the game, but the offense on both sides got hot and stayed hot for 45 minutes. 

-With about five minutes remaining in the first half, Covenant cut the lead to two points, 32-30, on a field goal by Logan Pearlman. However, the Tigers posted a 13-6 run en route to a 46-39 halftime lead. 

-At the start of the second half, Sewanee, for the first time during the game, was unable to find their stroke, missing seven of the first eight shots. That gave the Scots the opportunity to get back into the game with a 5-of-5 mark to start the period. Malcolm Noel gave the home team their first lead of the night with at the free throw line with 18:31 remaining. 

-Covenant would get the lead up to six, 60-54, with 12 and a half left, and the track meet commenced from there. Sewanee eventually clawed back to retake the lead, 68-67,with eight minutes left in regulation. 

-From there, the lead was no bigger than one possession the rest of regulation. With less than a minute remaining in regulation, after a missed layup by Covenant, the Scots committed a foul that sent Russ Marr to the line, trailing 85-84. The sophomore connected on both foul shots to give Sewanee the lead again, 86-85. 

-After a Covenant timeout, the Scots reclaimed the lead on a layup from Promise Igbanu on a second chance opportunity to give the home team the lead again, 87-86, with 19 seconds to go. 

-Following a Sewanee timeout, Marr drove the paint and was fouled by Igbanu with 12 seconds remaining. Marr connected on the first free throw but would miss the second one and despite an offensive rebound, the Tigers turned the ball over with 9.9 to go. 

-Igbanu had one more change to give his team the win at home, but his missed layup and a big rebound by Graham Smith sent the game to overtime. 

-The Tigers connectedon its first two field goals by Marr to make the lead four, 91-87, but a Noel triple made it a one-point affair with four minutes left in regulation. Fortunately for the Purple and White, that would be as close as they would get. Marr connected on the next seven points for the Tigers to make it a nine-point affair, 100-91, with two minutes left, to seal the deal.

NOTES AND NUGGETS
-Tuesday's meeting marked the third time in series history that Sewanee dropped 100 on Covenant. The Tigers did it twice to the Scots during the 1972-73 season. The 108 Sewanee scored tonight matched the Dec. 5, 1972 outburst, 108-65. That Sewanee team went on to win the College Athletic Conference (CAC) that season. 

-Sewanee is now 31-15 all-time versus Covenant in the series, and the two teams split this year's matchups. 

-Returning to Barnes Gymnasium for the first time since 2018, Sewanee has won the last two on Lookout Mountain. 

-With the win on Tuesday, this marks the third time this season that the Purple and White have eclipsed the century mark. Sewanee last surpassed the 100-point mark three times in a season during the 2005-06 campaign. 

-The 31 made free throws on the night was the most in a game since the 2017-18 season, when the Tigers converted 37 in a 99-96 win vs. Rhodes College. 

-Russ Marr became the first player since the 2001-02 season to drop 50 in a game for the University of the South. Posting the second-best point total in the 10-plus year history of the Southern Athletic Association,  in a game, he was five points shy of breaking Eric Ochel's 55-point performance in 1995 versus Emory. 

SEWANEE KEY STATISTICS
-It was a career night for sophomore Russ Marr, who played 43 minutes in the overtime win. The Bryant, Ala. native posted a 50-point performance thanks to 17-of-22 from the field and 13-18 from inside the arc. On ball control, he had five boards and two blocks and steals each. 

-Marr not only set a new best in points, but he also had career days in field goals made (17) and free throws made (12).

-Only scoring 12 points at the half, Marr dropped 38 in the second half and overtime. With 15 of those points coming in the extra period, he scored the first 13 points for the Tigers.

-Thanks to 9-of-10 from the charity stripe, Luka Avaliani totaled 16 on the night with three rebounds. 

-Graham Smith was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field with 11 points, and Eli Holland corralled seven boards, including three on the offensive glass. 

-Tre Corrigan totaled 11 points and six boards, while John Crump added 11 and nearly had a double-double with nine boards. 

-Sewanee shot 15-of-24 (62.5%) in the first half, and despite a cold start to the second half, the Tigers finished the game with a 60.7% mark from the field (34-of-56). Earning its highest percentage on the year, Sewanee has now been over 50% or better shooting in five of its eight games. 

COVENANT KEY STATISTICS
-It was also a career night for Promise Igbanu, who also had a 50-point performance. Posting an 18-of-32 mark from the floor, Igbanu tallied 51 points and missed a double-double with nine boards. 26 of his points came in the second half, but he was limited to 1-of-5 from the field in overtime. 

-For Igbanu, he becomes the first Covenant College player to drop 50 points in a single game, breaking the previous record of 46 which stood for nearly 30 years.  

-Malcolm Noel dropped 17 points, while Luke Crowden added 12 points for the Scots. 

UP NEXT
The University of the South returns to the hardwood on Saturday for the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) opener with Centre College.  Tip off is scheduled for 3 p.m., following the women's game, from Danville, Ky.

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