MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Rhodes men's basketball team bested conference rivals Sewanee, 55-52 on Friday in Southern Athletic Association play.
                                                                           
With the win the Lynx advance to 12-6 on the season and improve their SAA record to 5-2. The Tigers fall to 10-7 for the year and 3-4 in league play.
 
Johnny Dunavant opened the contest with a big three for the Lynx, and gave Rhodes the early 3-0 lead. The Tigers had an answer as they grabbed an advantage after a Jorden Williams three and a Seth Brown put-back, to make the count 5-3 with 18 minutes to play in the half. Ryan Van Hoeck came back with a slam dunk for Rhodes, the start of a 9-2 run for the Lynx, which made the count 14-7 with 15:05 to play.
 
Rhodes saw their lead slip away as the Tigers pushed to an 8-0 run after a Seth Brown lay-in and free throw combo made the score 16-14 at the 6:43 mark. The Lynx worked to regain the lead after a Drew Miller lay up to make the score 19-18 with 4:59 to play in the half. Coach Mike DeGeorge's squad held onto the lead to end the half, taking a 25-21 advantage into the break.
 
Brown led all scorers at the half with 10 points, while Williams added five first half points. The Lynx were led by Geoff Livsey at the break with his seven points, followed by five points from Miller and four points from Van Hoeck.
 
The Lynx posted a first half shooting percentage of 42.1 percent and converted two, three point attempts. Rhodes' opponent shot 42.9 percent from the field and only 25.0 percent from beyond the three point arc. The Lynx were evenly matched in the paint, with both teams scoring 10 points in the lane.
 
Rhodes had a strong start to the second half with a layup by Luke Collins and a made free throw from Livsey to put the Lynx up seven, 28-21 just 40 seconds into the half. Again, the Lynx saw their lead diminish as the Tigers mounted a seven point run to take the 34-32 lead at the 11:14 mark. The battle ensued, proving to be a close one as both teams took turns with the lead. After a Tate Sledge free throw conversion, the Lynx knotted the game up at 37-37 for its sixth tie with 8:04 to play.
 
The Tigers built their way to a five point lead after a Williams jumper made the score 42-37 with 6:65 on the clock. A relentless Rhodes was not ready to give up as Miller tied the game for the eighth time at 47-47 with a layup at the 2:55 mark. Miller went back to work and fought for an and-one bucket at 2:01 to give the Lynx the 50-47 lead. Williams sent a three ball home for the Tigers to tie the game back at 50-50 with 1:36 to play. Shane Watson buried a bucket to give the Lynx the 52-50 lead at 1:13, and Rhodes would not relinquish its lead for the remainder of the contest. With some securing free throws from Luke Collins and Patrick McGrail, the Lynx held on to defeat Sewanee 55-52.
 
Sewanee's Brown posted 18 points to lead all scorers, followed by 15 points from Williams. Leo Brown chipped in eight with Keshonn Carter and Robert Veal each adding four apiece.
 
Rhodes had a balanced offensive effort, with Miller leading the charge with 14. Miller was one rebound shy of a double-double, with nine while also adding four steals and three assists. Livsey ended the night with 10 points and four rebounds, with Watson adding eight points and Collins and Van Hoeck each netting six points.
 
Rhodes used a 22-16 point advantage in the paint and out-rebounded the Tigers by a slim margin of 29-28. The Lynx shot 35.7 percent from the field. Sewanee fired 44.4 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from behind the three point line.
 
Rhodes will tangle with the Colonels of Centre College at home in its next match up, set to tip off at 3 p.m. on Feb. 2.