ATHENS, Tenn. — The No. 6 SCAD Savannah men's lacrosse team showcased its resilience on Thursday afternoon, securing a hard-fought 13-12 overtime victory against No. RV Tennessee Wesleyan University at the TWU Athletic Complex.
 
RECORDS: With the win, the Bees improved to 10-2 overall and 3-1 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. Tennessee Wesleyan moved to 5-5 overall and 1-3 in the AAC.
 
DID YOU KNOW? This is the first 10 game winning season since the Bees went 10-4 in 2012.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Bulldogs opened the scoring early taking a 1-0 lead at the 13:11 mark, however two minutes later, Travis Cheristin found the back of the net to knot the game at one-all. With 6:14 on the clock, Mason Hickman made it a 2-2 game but Tennessee Wesleyan scored two unanswered goals to go into the second quarter up 4-2.
 
The Bees' defense tightened in the second frame, allowing only one goal, while the offense added one of its own, another from Cheristin, to trail 5-3 at the halftime break.
 
The Bulldogs opened the second half with three consecutive goals to go up 8-3 before Ian Wildermuth and Hickman (2) made it a two-goal game (8-6) heading into the final quarter.
 
In a high-scoring fourth quarter, SCAD exploded for six goals – Hickman, Hunter Currie, Eli Phillips, Sebastian Manuel, Jonathan O'Bryant Graves, Ethan Cline - to go up 12-9. Tennessee Wesleyan battled back and scored three unanswered goals in the last four minutes of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 12-all, forcing overtime.
 
In the extra period, Cline delivered, finding the back of the net to seal the 13-12 victory for the Bees.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: The Bees' offense was led by Mason Hickman, who recorded a game-high four goals and added one assist for a five-point afternoon. Eli Philips and Travis Cheristin each contributed two goals, while Jonathan O'Bryant Graves and Sebastian Manuel both finished with one goal and one assist. Ethan Cline, Ian Wildermuth, and Hunter Currie also found the back of the net to round out the scoring.
 
Lucas Martinez was dominant at the faceoff, winning 19 of 26 attempts and scooping up a game-high 12 ground balls.
 
Defensively, Keaton Melcher earned the win in the cage, recording 11 saves throughout the contest.
 
WHAT'S NEXT? The Bees will return home to host No. Reinhardt University on Saturday, March 28 at 12:00 p.m. Come out and celebrate the 20 years of the men's lacrosse program for our alumni recognition game. The Gift of Life Marrow Registry will also be in attendance. Students can expect shuttles to be running from the residence halls and there will also be a food truck for refreshments.