MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Rhodes men's basketball team, led by its core of seniors, easily bypassed the University of Texas at Tyler on Friday, 64-46.
 
The Lynx improve to 2-1 on the year, while the Patriots open the season with a 0-1 record.
 
The Patriots got off to a strong offensive start with a 6-2 run to open play, with a 6-2 lead at the 17:02 mark. Head coach Mike DeGeorge got the Lynx offensive fire lit, as Rhodes pushed out a 10-3 run to the 12:03 mark after a pair of buckets from Luke Collins, including a deep trey ball, and a couple of lay-ins from Geoff Livsey and Ryan Van Hoeck to claim a 129-9 lead.
 
Rhodes worked to widen the gap, riding surges of scoring, getting help from a balanced Lynx attack. After a 12-0 run, featuring a pair of threes from Dylan Bliss and Keyshawn Butts, the Lynx padded a 26-15 lead with 4:31 to play.
 
The Lynx worked to keep their distance, as sound defense paired with smart offense proved successful for the Lynx. An old fashioned three point play for Tyler Jacobs and the Patriots cut into the Lynx lead, as Rhodes went into the half with a 31-23 advantage.
 
At the half the Lynx posted an impressive 57.1 shooting percentage, with a scorching 80.0 percent from beyond the three point arc, shooting 4-5. The Lynx held the Patriots to 40.0 percent from the field in the half, and a mere 16.7 percent from three point range.
 
Collins led the Lynx scoring efforts at the break with seven, including a hot 3-3 from the field. Geoff Livsey added six to Rhodes total, to go with four rebounds, two steals and two assists. UT Tyler was led by Stephon Hall at the half, also with seven and saw Tyler Jacobs add five points.
 
Rhodes picked up where they left off in the second half, kicking off play with a seven point run, with a pair of layups from Collins and Van Hoeck, topped by a Tate Sledge and-one play at the 15:30 mark to push the Lynx lead out to 38-25.
 
With 9:01 to play, the Lynx watched their lead swell to 20 thanks to a six point swing from Brennan Sullivan, making the lead 47-27.
 
Back-to-back threes from Chris Rios and Hall helped to whittle down the Lynx lead, as the Patriots fought to minimize the gap built by Rhodes. After a UT Tyler run worked the lead down to ten, the Lynx fought back, re-establishing their advantage, pulling to a 17 point lead at the 2:32 mark after an eight point streak from Collins. Rhodes held on for the finish, and secured a 64-46 point victory.  
 
Rhodes was led by Collins, who posted 20 points, six rebounds and two assists on the night. Van Hoeck added 11 points and seven rebounds, with Sullivan chipping in 10 points. Rhodes shot 47.7 percent on the night from the field, and ended with 36.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
 
UT Tyler was led in scoring by Rios with 11 points, with Hall adding 10 to the Patriots total. The Patriots posted 33.3 percent shooting on the night, and the Lynx held their opponents to just 16.7 percent shooting from long range.
 
Rhodes will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 22 against LeTourneau University at 5 p.m.