MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Rhodes women's basketball couldn't outlast Ferrum College in the battle of the unbeaten as they fell 79-77 on Monday in the final game of the Bancorp South Holiday Classic.
 
The loss is the Lynx first, and takes them to a record of 9-1 on the season while the Panthers advance to 4-0.
 
Rhodes opened play with a Dy'nelle Todman to Symone Daniels connection 45 seconds in, giving the Lynx the early 2-0 lead. The Panthers fought to give the Lynx a close contest and charged back with a Jacole Hairston three and Shea Smith bucket to take the 5-2 lead. Rhodes regained the lead with a Daniels lay-in, grabbing the 7-5 advantage with 16:44 to play. The Lynx worked to build on their lead, but were evenly matched by the Panthers.
 
Rhodes worked up to a 10 point lead behind a Natalie Goodrum three at the 8:58 mark to make the count 19-9. Rhodes pushed a 10-2 run towards the end of the half, getting baskets from a host of Lynx to make the tally 30-19 with 2:21 remaining in the first half. Ferrum had an answer and pulled within seven after a pair of layups from Shea Smith and Kylene Culler to make the halftime count 30-23.
 
The leaders for Rhodes at the half in scoring included Daniels with 11 points and Todman with nine points, and eight rebounds. For the Panthers, Jacole Hairston and Culler each tallied five points apiece with Smith and Katy Kipps putting up four points each.
 
Rhodes put up a shooting percentage of 33.3 percent from the field in the first half, only taking two made three's into the halftime break. The Lynx held Ferrum to 37.5 percent shooting, but the Panthers posted 40.0 percent from beyond the three point arc.
 
In the second half, the Lynx worked to widen the gap, building up to their largest lead of 12 points at the 17:37 mark after a Daniels layup made the score 40-28. But the Panthers would not be tamed and chipped away at the Lynx lead throughout the second half. Just four minutes later the Panthers had clawed their way back to just a two point deficit after an 8-0 run. Rhodes held off the Panther charge, working back up to a 50-43 advantage after a Todman three at the 7:53 mark.
 
The Lynx maintained its distance until the waning minutes of the second half when a Culler layup with eight seconds to play brought the Panthers within two with a score of 63-61. A Catherine Eckert free throw extended the Lynx lead to three with six seconds left in play, but a last second three pointer by Smith found its way home for Ferrum and the Panthers forced overtime.
 
Rhodes couldn't grab a lead in the first overtime, but fought back to tie the score on two different occasions. A pair of Sarah Johnson free throws brought the score to 70-70 with 19 seconds to play, a score that would stand, and send the teams into a second overtime battle.
 
In the final overtime, the Lynx again had to play catch up as the Panthers drew first blood with a pair of free throws from Kipps, to make the count 72-70 with 4:16 to play. The Panthers continued their run, adding four points to their total, with a score of 76-70 with 2:50 to play. The Lynx weren't finished as they mustered a 7-2 run over the span of two minutes to tie the game at 77-77 with 1:07 to play. But a pair of Boreika Burwell free throws would be the final scores of the contest and gave Ferrum the 79-77 edge.
 
Rhodes valiant effort showed in its players totals. Two players earned double-doubles in the outing, with Daniels tallying a game high 19 points and 11 rebounds to go with two blocks and two steals. Todman also earned a double-double, her first of the season, with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Todman also added three steals and two assists to her team's totals. Three other Lynx fought their way into double digits, with Eckert and Sarah Johnson scoring 13 points each. Johnson also snagged six steals and five assists. Blaire Smith posted 10 points for the Lynx.
 
Ferrum had several players in double digits as well, with Culler leading the way with 18 points. Burwell added 16 points, Hairston contributed 13 and Culler chipped in 12 towards the Panthers total.
 
While Rhodes forced 24 turnovers, turning them into 21 points, it wasn't enough to hold off the Panthers. The Lynx put up 31.6 percent shooting from the field compared to Ferrum's 41.9 percent and shot only 25.0 percent from beyond the three point arc.
 
Rhodes will look to bounce back on the road as they head to Holly Springs Miss. to face off against Rust College for the second time this season on Jan. 7 at 6 p.m.