BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Rhodes women's basketball team fell to Birmingham Southern College in Southern Athletic Association action on Friday, 58-57.
 
The Lynx fall to 13-5 on the season and 4-3 in league play, while the Panthers improve to 8-10 and 1-6 in conference action.
 
The contest was a close battle throughout, with the teams evenly matched through much of the contest. The Lynx pushed out to a 13-5 lead by the 10:35 mark after a pair of buckets from Sarah Johnson and Blaire Smith.

Rhodes continued to lead, working out to a 20-7 advantage after a Symone Daniels trey and layup combo with eight minutes to play in the opening half. The Panthers pieced together a 12-2 run to close the half, and the Lynx took a 22-21 lead into the break.
 
At the half, Daniels led all scorers with 13 points, while Smith added five points. The Panthers were led by Kayla Ford who netted eight points at the mid way mark. In the half, the Lynx shot 32.1 percent from the filed, while their counterparts shot a close 31.8 percent.
 
In the second half, the tick for tack action continued, with neither team able to establish a substantial distance. A pair of free throws from Daniels, followed by a big three from the junior gave Rhodes a 35-29 edge with 13:51 to play.
 
A timely three from Smith forced a Panthers timeout with 10 minutes to play, and gave the Lynx a 42-36 lead. An 8-2 run following the timeout was all the Panthers needed to knot the contest at 44-44 by the 7:27 mark. BSC took their first lead just a minute later after Jothani Dixon made a trey to take a 49-46 lead.
 
Rhodes was forced to play catch up, and by the 1:50 mark, a made Dy'Nelle Todman three regained the Lynx lead at 53-52. But the Panthers had an answer in the form of a three from Ford on the next possession.
 
The Lynx again fought to regain the lead, and after an Erin Deery lay-in with nine seconds to play, the Lynx had the 57-56 advantage. Ashley Curry drew a foul for the Panthers and knocked down two free throws to take a 58-57 lead with three seconds to play. The Lynx couldn't get a final shot to fall, and ultimately fell 58-57.
 
Daniels led all scorers with 22 points, four rebounds and four steals. Johnson finished with 17 points four rebounds, four steals and three assists. As a team, the Lynx shot 38.5 percent from the field in the contest, and 85.7 percent from the charity stripe.
 
BSC had a balanced scoring attack with Ford tallying 17 points in the outing. Ashley Curry chipped in 11 to the BSC totals. The Panthers posted 52.0 percent shooting from the field, with a hot 55.6 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Rhodes will look to bounce back on Sunday, Feb. 1 when they travel to take on league leaders Millsaps College at 1 p.m.