SEWANEE, Tenn. – The Millsaps men's basketball team jumped out front early, but were unable to fend off conference-leading Sewanee inside Juhan Gymnasium on Sunday. The Tigers claimed an 86-75 decision.
Junior Dakota Gasca led the Majors with a career-high 25 points. The guard added one rebound, two assists and one block to his accolades. Gasca shot 11-of-26 from the floor.
The West Monroe, La., native also tied a career-high of five steals when he played 35 minutes on the court against the Tigers.
Senior Nicholas Ughovwa recorded a season-high 13 points, while adding nine rebounds, three blocks, and a steal. Ughovwa also shot 6-of-10 from the floor and currently paces the conference in blocked shots.
Classmate Drew Roth posted 11 points and set a career-high of four steals. The Monterey, Calif., product also highlighted nine rebounds and one block.
Junior Caleb Kent finished with eight points, six rebounds and one assist.
Sewanee (13-6, 5-1 SAA) led Millsaps, 15-9 in fast break points, while the Majors outscored the Tigers, 12-7 in total bench points. Millsaps dominated the Tigers, 15-8 in points off turnovers and held a 50-40 margin in points inside the paint.
In the first half, Millsaps made a statement early as a Kent jumper opened the scoring.
Sewanee, struggling to find answers, fell behind 12-4 when Uhohvwa slammed down a slam dunk with 15:15 to play.
Roth electrified the bench when he grabbed a steal and scored on a fast break drive, being fouled. He gave out a roar and bumped his chest on the Sewanee mat behind the hoop twice with excitement.
Millsaps continued their early scoring rampage as a Gasca free throw and jumper gave the Majors their largest lead of the contest at 19 points.
Midway through the first half, Millsaps stayed ahead of the Tigers, 35-21 as Gasca scored from a driving layup.
With 5:17 remaining on the clock, Siqueira would come off the bench and knock down a three-pointer to make it 38-23.
However, Sewanee's three-pointer before the buzzer ended the half on a 41-18 run and cut their deficit down to four. Millsaps was still ahead, 45-41 going into halftime.
In the second half, Hogan's layup kept the Majors within a four-point lead. However, a steal and a driving layup by Gasca would extend the Majors margin to 49-45.
After being down the majority of the first half, a three-pointer and a step-back jumper would give the host their first lead of the contest by one with 15:48 to go.
Both teams would trade off points in a back-and-forth effort before Sewanee would flex an eight-point lead following five made free throws just before the final media timeout.
Moments later, a Tigers' driving layup would send the contest into double figures. Millsaps answered with a Roth steal and two Gasca driving layups, cutting the host's advantage down to 79-73.
With 58 seconds remaining on the scoreboard, Sewanee moved ahead by 11 points and would maintain their lead to take down the Majors, 86-75 on Sunday.
Millsaps will get right back at it and host the Tigers inside the Hangar Dome on Saturday, Feb. 1. Start time will follow the women's basketball matchup at approximately 3 p.m. Live video and live stats will be provided at gomajors.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps College men's basketball program follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
