CONWAY, Ark. – The Rhodes women's basketball team dropped a heart breaker in Southern Athletic Association play on Saturday, falling to Hendrix College, 56-54.
 
The Lynx fall to 11-4 on the year and 2-2 in league play while the Warriors improve to 7-8 on the season and 2-2 in conference action.
 
Rhodes got off to a great start, knocking down the first three buckets of the game, with Dy'Nelle Todman converting a pair of layups and Sarah Johnson laying in a bucket to give the Lynx a 6-0 lead by the 18:45 mark. The Warriors charged back with a 6-0 run of their own to knot the contest with 16:51 to play.
 
Over the course of the first half, the Lynx saw six lead changes and five ties. Johnson knocked down a trey with 3:47 to play in the half to regain the Rhodes lead, 22-20. Hendrix worked to erase the Lynx advantage, and with a pair of free throws to close the half, knotted the contest at 22-22 heading into the break.
 
At the half, Johnson led the Lynx with eight points and four steals. Todman and Bailey Kramer each turned in four points, with Kramer grabbing four rebounds. Anna King and Estrella Flores led the way for the Warriors, with five points apiece. The Lynx posted 29.0 percent shooting, with Hendrix firing 41.2 percent from the field.
 
The back and forth banter continued in the second half, with three ties and four lead changes in the opening five minutes. Rhodes was able to regain the lead after a Johnson three and a Blaire Smith jumper that gave the Lynx a 39-38 lead with 8:05 to play.
 
The Lynx lead was short lived as a 7-1 run by the Warriors, fueled by a pair of King layups and a Caitlyn Kriesel-Bigler trey gave Hendrix a 48-41 advantage by the 4:42 mark. Rhodes worked to whittle down the Warriors lead, and after a pair of lay-ins from Johnson and Kramer, worked to a score of 54-51 with 24 seconds to play.
 
Kriesel-Bigler went 1-2 from the free throw line when the Lynx were forced to foul, and a Johnson three with 15 seconds in the contest breathed life into head coach Matt Dean's squad, which trailed 55-54. Another Kriesel-Bigler  free throw gave the Warriors a 56-54 lead, and the last second Lynx attempt would fall, as Rhodes fell 56-54.
 
Johnson finished with 21 points, five assists and five steals. Kramer notched a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Kriesel-Bigler led the Warriors with 14 points and eight assists, while King chipped in 13 points and six rebounds.
 
In the contest, Rhodes shot 37.1 percent from the field, while their counterparts fired 44.7 percent
 
Rhodes will look to bounce back at home on Jan. 23 when they host Centre College.