Box Score The Maryville College men's basketball squad, paced by JR Sander's game-high 27 points, took the USA South West Division-leading Covenant College Scots to overtime but fell 72-70 in the final seconds in Lookout Mountain, Georgia on Wednesday evening.
Maryville battled to a 32-24 halftime advantage behind Brice Martin and Felix Uadiale's combined 17 points on a collective 8-of-15 shooting from the floor. MC took advantage of 12 Covenant first-half turnovers converting their miscues into a dozen points. The visiting Scots went into the intermission connecting on over 48-percent of their shots going 15-of-31 as a unit.
Maryville pushed to its largest lead at the 9:37 mark in the second half when Felix Uadiale threw down a monstrous dunk giving MC a 49-35 advantage. Over the next seven minutes, Covenant chipped away and took their first lead of the game at the 2:19 mark following a Zack Allen three-pointer. A pair of Joshua Brooks baskets gave Maryville a 59-58 lead, but it took a JR Sanders three-pointer with seven seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime, 62-62.
In the overtime segment, Covenant took advantage of their free-throw opportunities with Promise Igbanu and Chris Barnette sinking key baskets down the stretch.
Covenant (13-7, 10-3 USA South) was led by a trio of players posting double-digit scoring. Zack Allen finished with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting while dropping three key second-half treys. Will Crumly added 15 points on 50-percent shooting while grabbing six rebounds. Chris Barnette tossed in 10 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists for the Scots. Covenant finished 22-for-49 from the floor (45-percent) while sinking 20-of-27 free throws (74-percent).
Maryville (5-14, 4-8 USA South) connected on 48-percent of their shots from the floor (28-for-58) but only dropped four three-pointers while going 10-for-20 at the charity stripe. Sanders' 27 points came from 8-of-13 shooting adding a 4-of-7 effort from beyond the arc. Felix Uadiale went 8-for-11 from the floor for 17 points while Brice Martin and Joshua Brooks each deposited nine points. Martin paced MC on the boards with a game-high nine rebounds.
Maryville will prepare for a tough USA South road trip this weekend at William Peace University and Pfeiffer University. The Scots will return home to the Cooper Athletic Center on Saturday, February 15th when they host Brevard College on senior day.
