Royals defeat Sewanee 107-99 in double overtime
On Tuesday night the Royals defeated Sewanee in double overtime and improved to 9-5 on their season.
The Royals would jump out to a 9-point lead with just over 16 minutes left in the half. The defense went to work and allowed the Royals to go on a 16-4 run and pushed their lead to 19 points. They would eventually extend their lead to 20 points behind a couple of timely 3-pointers from Gavin Grubb and Toure Fudge. The Royals continued their defensive pressure and went into halftime holding a 42-24 lead over the Tigers.
The Tigers got off to a hot start in the second half and closed the gap 47-41 with just over 15 minutes to go in the game. The Royals offense would make a run of their own as Nick Jones, Gavin Grubb, and Coby Jones would each score to push the lead to 55-41. With just under 7 minutes to go in the game, Sewanee's Adrian Thomas helped pull the Tigers within 3, at 65-62. After going back-and-forth for the remainder of the second half, Estiven Estacio made a layup with 12 seconds left and tied the game up at 83-83 to send it to overtime. After Coby Jones made 2 free throws at the end of overtime, the Royals forced a second overtime. Sewanee's Jordan Warlick hit a 3-pointer to give the Tigers the early advantage. Orion Mashburn hit 2 free throws to pull the Royals within one, when Toure Fudge hit a 3-pointer to give the Royals the lead. Gavin Grubb would seal the double overtime win, hitting 4 free throws down the stretch and the Royals would go on to win 107-99.
Coby Jones lead the Royals with 38 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 assists. Gavin Grubb finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals while shooting 9-10 from the line.
The Royals now have 4 wins against NCAA D3 opponents, and 2 wins against NAIA D2 opponents. With their win on Tuesday night, the Royals have the overall best record in NCCAA D2. The Royals are back in action at home December 14th against Bryan College at 3:00pm.