BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Rhodes men's basketball fell in overtime at Birmingham-Southern College, 85-80 on Sunday in Southern Athletic Association play.
 
The Lynx move to 11-6 overall and 4-2 in the SAA, while the Panthers advance to 10-6, and 4-2 within the league.
 
Coach Mike DeGeorge's squad got off to a sluggish start, as they found themselves playing catchup early. After a Larry Thomas three at the 14:22 mark gave the Panthers a six point lead at 14-8, the Lynx went on a 7-0 run to pull within one at 11:45 with a Brennan Sullivan three to make the count 16-15.
 
Rhodes saw Birmingham-Southern pad its lead back up to 10 at the 7:28 mark, with a score of 27-17.The Lynx answered with a 10-0 run as Johnny Dunavant knocked down a three with 1:37 to play in the half, knotting things up at 36-36. Rhodes closed out the half with a Patrick McGrail three to secure its first lead of the contest at 39-38. The Lynx would take the one point lead into the half.
 
Luke Collins posted 10 first half points, followed by McGrail who added seven. The Panther's Larry Thomas had 15 points, with Alex Avery adding six. Birmingham-Southern shot 39.3 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from beyond the arc in the first half. The Lynx posted an impressive 54.2 shooting percentage with 54.5 percent from three point range.
 
The tight battle ensued in the second half, but the Lynx established their lead from the get go with a Ryan Van Hoeck lay in to start the period, making the score 41-38. Rhodes pushed to get its lead up to seven with 11:59 to play, when a Michael Gallagher three made the score 55-48. The relentless Panthers  weren't ready to give up, as they charged back to tie it up at 57-57 all with 6:12 to play after a pair of made free throws from Schyler Freeman.
 
Rhodes tied things up after a Livsey old-fashioned three point play at the 1:06 mark, making the count 70-70. McGrail hit a huge three for the Lynx with 41 seconds remaining to give the Lynx the 73-70 advantage. But the Panther's Thomas had an answer, as he tied things up just ten seconds later with a three of his own, and the 73-73 count would hold, forcing overtime.
 
The Lynx struggled to score in the overtime, as the Panthers opened scoring with a Thomas layup at the 4:20 mark, making the count 75-73. A pair of Collins free throws evened things back at 75-75 with 4:00 minutes remaining. After a three from Griffin Schamp made the count 79-75, the Lynx counlt muster enough of a comeback to regain the lead. A 4-0 run by the Panthers to close out the contest made the final count 85-80.
 
Rhodes had a host of players finish in double figures, with Miller at the top with 15 points. Collins ended the night with 12 points, while Dunavant, Livsey, Van Hoeck and McGrail each finished with 10 points apiece. Livsey posted a double-double while also pulling down 10 rebounds.
 
Thomas posted a game-high 25 points for the Panthers, as Schamp added 16 and Freeman ended the night with 11 points.
 
The Lynx shot a hot percentage of 50.0 percent from the field, with a 40.9 percent game from beyond the three point arc. Birmingham-Southern posted 46.0 percent shooting with 45.0 percent from three point range. The Panthers also converted 30 of 39 free throw attempts.
 
 
Rhodes will return home for a two game stretch against Sewanee and Centre College next weekend. The Lynx will tip off against the Tigers on Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. followed by a matchup with the league leading Colonels on Feb 2 at 3 p.m.