JACKSON, Miss. – Rhodes women's basketball fell in a close match to conference foe Millsaps College, 58-56 on Saturday in Southern Athletic Association action.
 
The loss is the Lynx' first conference loss, as they fall to 4-1 in league play and 12-3 on the year. Millsaps advances to 3-2 in the SAA and 9-6 for the season.
 
Millsaps started the game with a vengeance after Rhodes grabbed the first points with a Lauren Avant layup. Velvet Johnson gave the Majors their first lead on the next trip when she knocked down a three, giving them a 3-2 lead with 18:46 to play in the first half. Millsaps continued to take it to the Lynx, extending their lead to double digit figures with a three from Beverly Holmes at the 10:21 mark to make the score 18-7.
 
The Lynx fought back to within striking distance after a 14-1 run gave Rhodes the 21-19 advantage after several scores from Symone Daniels, including an old-fashioned three point play at the 3:25 mark. Coach Dean's squad closed out the first half with a three from Daniels, to take a 27-23 score into the half.
 
Daniels led the way at the half with an impressive 20 point first half total. She shot eight of 15 from the field and pulled in 10 rebounds for a first half double-double. Holmes netted eight in the first half to lead the Majors, followed by Johnson who added five.
 
The Lynx shot 30.3 percent from the field in the first half, while the Majors posted 37.0 percent shooting.
 
The Majors didn't take long to erase the deficit in the second half and tied it up 27-27 after a pair of buckets to open the half. Avant found her way to the basket at the 16:39 mark, giving the Lynx a 29-27 advantage. The Majors mounted a 13-0 run over the next five minutes, establishing a 40-29 lead with 11:42 to play.
 
After a jumper from Kala Freeman, the Majors established their largest lead of 13 at 47-34 at the 7:44 mark. However, the Lynx weren't ready to roll over, as they fought to claw their way back into the contest. An Avant three with 31 seconds to play made the count 55-52. Millsaps sunk three free throws to stretch the gap back to 58-52, but Rhodes' four point onslaught with three seconds to play wasn't enough to overcome the Majors, and the Lynx fell 58-56.
 
In the Lynx' first conference loss of the season, Avant scored a game high 27 points. The senior also pulled in 10 rebounds for a double-double. Daniels, who secured a double-double in the first half, finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds. The Lynx shot 26.5 percent on the night, with only four made threes in the outing.
 
Millsaps was led by Freeman, who finished with 15 points. Johnson added 14 to the Majors total. Rhodes opponent put up 44.0 percent shooting from the field, with 35.7 percent from beyond the three point arc.
 
The Lynx will look to bounce back on Sunday, Jan. 26 at Birmingham-Southern College at 1 p.m.