MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Propelled by a team effort, Rhodes women's basketball cruised past Westminster College 83-48 on Sunday night in the opening round of the Bancorp South Classic.

 

The win keeps the Lynx' record untarnished, moving to 9-0, while the Blue Jays retreat to a 2-6 overall record.

 

Rhodes ran away with the game from the get go, scoring 15 unanswered points to open the contest with three point baskets from three different Lynx, including Symone Daniels, Dy'Nelle Todman and Lauren Avant. The Rhodes defense continued to stifle the Blue Jay offense, as the Lynx posted a 22-4 lead with 13:24 to play after a Catherine Eckert lay in.

 

Westminster was able to spark some offense after a Sadie Theroff three pointer and an old fashioned three point play from Andrea Zalis made the count 25-12 at the 11:22 mark. Rhodes continued to apply the pressure and forced 17 Blue Jay turnovers, which turned into 28 Lynx points in the first half. A 12-0 run helped the Lynx close out the first half, with six points coming from Daniels at the 4:20 mark to make the score 42-16. Mariah Hernandez finished the half with a pair of Blue Jay free throws to make the half time score 47-22 in favor of the Lynx.

 

Daniels led all scorers at the half with 11 points. Avant tallied up 10 points with Todman adding eight. Westminster had three players with five first half points in Kasey Gatson, Sadie Theroff and Andrea Zalis.

 

The Lynx held the Blue Jays to 27.3 percent shooting from the field in the first half, and just 16.7 percent from beyond the arc. Rhodes posted an impressive 60.6 percent shooting from the field in the first half, while shooting 4-10 from behind the three point line.

 

The second half, the Lynx continued to build on its lead, but saw more scoring from the Blue Jays. A Bailey Kramer layup paired with a Blaire Smith jumper at the 12:26 mark gave the Lynx a 61-35 lead. More Lynx contributed to Rhodes' total as Catherine Eckert drained a three less than a minute later. Jordin Quintin scored her first collegiate points at the 2:52 mark with a free throw, and then scored from the field with 32 seconds to play. The Rhodes reserves closed out the contest giving the Lynx the win and the final score of 83-48.

 

Daniels led all scorers with her 15 point performance, while also pulling in six rebounds, four steals and two assists. Sarah Johnson found her way into double digits, adding 11 points to her six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Todman and Avant each ended the night with 10 points apiece.

 

Westminster's offense was led by Jen Herndon who scored 10 points, followed by Kasey Gatson and Danielle Smulczenski who each added nine.

 

Rhodes' defense held the Blue Jays to just 21.4 percent shooting from the field, and a mere 9.1 percent from beyond the arc. The Lynx put up 54.1 percent in the contest from the field and converted 8-21 three point attempts.

 

Rhodes will tip off tomorrow, Monday Dec. 30 against Ferrum College at 3 p.m. in the final game of the Bancorp South Holiday Classic.