SEWANEE, Tenn. – The Birmingham-Southern men's basketball team opened up its 2019-20 season on the road at Sewanee's Lon Varnell Classic on Friday night, falling to Covenant College 71-66.

A back-and-forth first half saw a few lead changes between the two teams before Birmingham-Southern went into the halftime break trailing by five, 35-30.

In the second half, Covenant never surrendered its lead. The Panthers and Scots each scored 36 points in the final 20 minutes, allowing Covenant to maintain its five-point advantage at the final whistle.

Junior forward Ben Spence (Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS) led the Panthers' offense in the loss, dropping a game-high 21 points. Spence led the team in rebounds, too, with five. Sophomore forward Christian Stewart (Irondale, Ala./Shades Valley HS) also finished the game in double-digits, scoring 17 points.

Birmingham-Southern continues play at the Lon Varnell Classic on Saturday, Nov. 9. The Panthers will face Johnson University at 3 p.m. CT.

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