Chattanooga native Adrian Thomas reached a basketball milestone Sunday while helping the Sewanee Tigers earn a Southern Athletic Association victory at Birmingham-Southern College.
Thomas, a 6-foot-2, 255-pound senior forward who prepped at McCallie, scored his 1,000th collegiate point when he made a free throw with 3.1 seconds left in Sewanee's 88-85 overtime win.
It was the final point of the game for the Tigers (8-6, 2-1), with Ben Spence making a free throw for the Panthers (4-10, 0-3) at the finish to complete the scoring.
Spence's free throw with 18 seconds left provided the final point of regulation, tying the score at 75, and Thomas missed a layup and a 3-point attempt in the final seven seconds but did plenty to help Sewanee end its losing streak after four games.
Thomas, the SAA player of the year as a sophomore, led the Tigers with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting Sunday, when he also had seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Joey Knox and Jordan Warlick each added 18 points and Ryan Starr scored 11 with a team-best eight rebounds for Sewanee, which led 39-37 at halftime.
There were 12 ties and 10 lead changes in the game, with the biggest advantage nine points for the Tigers and eight for the Panthers, who were led by Spence's 21 points and 10 rebounds. Christian Stewart added 20 points and six rebounds, Bruce Bright Jr. scored 11 points and Evan Sigler had 10.
The teams were almost identically matched in shooting stats - Sewanee was 29-of-66 and BSC 29-of-67 from the field, with the Tigers 12-for-30 from 3-point range and the Panthers 10-for-26. Both teams took 23 free throws: Sewanee made 18 and BSC hit 17.
The victory secured a split of the SAA doubleheader after the Sewanee women lost 64-49.
In the earlier game, the Tigers (5-8, 1-2) were led by Ellie Treanton with 15 points, five rebounds and three steals. Kinsley Logan added 10 points and Lakeisha Phillips had nine.
Derienne Black had 28 points, and Emilee Olsen scored 19 for BSC (11-3, 3-0).
Compiled by Marty Kirkland. Contact him at mkirkland@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6478.