South Cumberland News

The University of the South men's basketball team ended a three-game losing streak by sweeping the regular season series of Oglethorpe University, 92-71, Sunday afternoon in a Southern Athletic Association (SAA) contest. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final Score: Sewanee (15-9, 8-5) 92, Oglethorpe (10-14, 5-8) 71

Sewanee Athletics Social Media | Twitter/Instagram: @SewaneeTigers

Men's Basketball Social Media | Twitter/Snapchat: @SewaneeHoops | Instagram: @sewanee_mbb

CLASS OF 2023!

In between Sunday's doubleheader, the men's basketball team recognized its seniors, John Crump and Colin Kahl. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

-An intense first 12 minutes saw OU leading 26-25 on a Ryan Jenei 3-pointers. However, the shots started dropping for Sewanee. The Purple and White used a 20-3 run to swell the lead to 16 with less than a minute remaining in the half. 

-Oglethorpe did get the deficit down to 11 at the break, 45-34. 

-The Petrels made it a 10-point game, 60-50 with 13 minutes left in the game. For Sewanee, they would not let up. A 3-pointer by Graham Smith made it a 16-point lead with 8:30 left. 

-Sewanee made it a 21-point lead with a Russ Marr dunk late to seal the victory. 

TIGERS SECURE HOME GAME IN SAA TOURNAMENT

-Juhan Gymnasium will see playoff basketball for the first time in 26 seasons in 2023. With Sunday's win over Oglethorpe, the Tigers have locked in a top-four seed for the upcoming SAA Tournament. Quarterfinal games will take place on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. local time. Seedings and matchups will be announced after the conclusion of the regular season on Wednesday. 

-The last time Sewanee hosted a postseason game was the first and second rounds of the 1997 NCAA Tournament. 

-The University of the South will host an SAA Tournament Game for the first time in program history. Note that the 2013 to 2019 championships took place at one site, which was held at the regular season champion in one weekend. 

-Since 2020, the tournament was adjusted over two weekends which sees the top-four teams host a quarterfinal game on the first weekend. The highest remaining seed hosts the semifinals and championship. 

MARR SCORES 500

-With 5:35 left in the ballgame, Russ Marr's layup pushed him over 500 points for the season, becoming the fifth player in the University of the South's men's basketball history to score that much in a season. He joins Kit Walsh (1991), Luke Smith (2019), Ryan Harrigan (1998) and Eric Ochel (1995) who posted over 500 points in a season. 

-Leading the SAA in scoring this season, the Bryant, Ala. native is 13th in NCAA Division III in scoring this season.

-Inside the SAA, which was formed during the 2012-13 academic year, Marr becomes the eighth to achieve 500 points in a season for men's basketball. Below is the full listing:

• Dimetri Chambers (Oglethorpe, 2022) - 642
• Seth Stanley (Hendrix, 2020) - 635
• Luke Smith (Sewanee, 2019) - 584
• Jacob Bates (Centre, 2020) - 549
• Dimetri Chambers (Oglethorpe, 2020) - 533
• Larry Thomas (Birmingham-Southern, 2013) - 521
• Will Perry (Oglethorpe, 2018) - 506
• Russ Marr (Sewanee, 2023) - 503

SEWANEE KEY STATISTICS

-Five Tigers were in double figures on Sunday, led by Colin Kahl's 19 on 7-of-11 shooting. The senior added five rebounds, three dimes and two blocks. 

-Russ Marr scored 18 points, picked up six boards and had two steals. 

-Tre Corrigan knocked down five shots from downtown en route to 17 points. The sophomore also recorded seven rebounds, five assists and three thefts. 

-Graham Smith went 6-of-8 from the field to finish with 14 points and added two thefts. 

-Rashaun Williams, off the bench, scored 11 points, while Luka Avaliani had nine boards and five assists. 

OGLETHORPE KEY STATISTICS

-Sewanee limited Oglethorpe top-scorer Uba Ezigbo to just 13 points and 5-of-16 from the floor in the game. 

Original source can be found here