MEMPHIS, Tenn. –  A 20 point, career-high performance from sophomore Brennan Sullivan helped lead the Rhodes men's basketball team past Covenant College on Saturday, 72-66.
 
The Lynx improve to 6-2 on the season while the Scots fall to 1-5 on the year.
 
In a contest, that proved to be a tough battle, the Lynx found themselves down early, as the Scots pulled to an early 8-3 lead after a layup by Nate Frierson at the 14:53 mark. The Lynx however, not ready to face defeat, fought to their first lead of the contest just two minutes later when Tate Sledge knocked down a try ball to give Rhodes the 11-10 advantage.
 
With a follow up three from Brennan Sullivan and a Drew Miller lay-in, the Lynx quickly pulled ahead to the tune of 16-10 with 11:05 to play. Facing two more ties, the Lynx grabbed the lead and didn't look back at the 7:17 mark when Sullivan knocked down three free-throws after drawing the foul on a deep ball, at 24-21.
 
The Lynx worked to hold on to their narrow lead, trading scores and possessions with Covenant. With both teams taking several trips to the free-throw line, the final three minutes of play saw only free throw attempts. Luke Collins, who was able to draw a foul on another deep ball, closed the half with three made free-throws to take a 35-31 lead into the half.
 
At the break, Connor Sears led all scorers with 11 points. Colton McGriff added eight points to the Scots totals. On the Rhodes side, Sullivan led the Lynx with 10 points. Collins added six to the Lynx totals, with Geoff Livsey and Sledge each adding five apiece.
 
Rhodes posted a first half shooting percentage of 57.1 percent, with 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. Covenant fired 40.6 percent from the field, and were held to just 12.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
 
In the second half the Lynx looked to build on its narrow lead, and with a Miller three and a Sullivan jump shot by the 18:17 mark, Rhodes had extended its lead to six, at 40-34. The pesky Scots continued to chip away at the Lynx lead, while head coach Mike DeGeorge's squad worked to stay ahead.
 
After seeing their lead shrink to as small as one point, the Lynx worked back out to six points ahead of the Scots, aided by a Sullivan three and a Matt Wagner bucket, with 9:39 to play and the count, 54-48. The Scots had an answer, in the form of a TJ Cox three, but Rhodes continued to pull away, as four straight Collins free throws made the count 58-51 with 6:04 to play.
 
The Lynx pushed out to a nine point lead, fueled by a pair of layups from Ryan Van Hoeck and Livsey to make the count 62-53 with five minutes to play. Miller knocked down a trey ball to give Rhodes a 67-60 edge at the 1:35 mark. The Lynx were able to hang on, and brought home a 72-66 win.
 
Rhodes was led by Sullivan, who's 20 points was a career-high number. Livsey finished with 12 point, with Miller recording 11 points, three rebounds and two steals. Collins and Van Hoeck both worked into the double digits as well, with 10 points apiece.
 
The Scots were led by Searsm who netted 18 points. Colton McGriff finished with 16 points of his own. Rhodes held Covenant to just 47.3 percent shooting from the field, and a mere 31.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Lynx posted a 57.6 field goal percentage, with an impressive 50.0 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Rhodes will take a break for finals before returning to action in California against the University of California – Santa Cruz on Dec. 19.