ATLANTA, Ga. – The Rhodes men's basketball team held on for a conference win on Friday over Oglethorpe University, 66-60
 
The Lynx improve to 9-3 on the year, and 2-0 in Southern Athletic Association play while the Stormy Petrels pick up just their third loss at 10-3 and move to 1-1 in league play.
 
Geoff Livsey got things started for the Lynx with a lay-in just eight seconds into the contest. After a Petrel's run, the Lynx took the lead and never looked back at the 14:49 mark when Keyshawn Butts buried a trey to give Rhodes a 7-5 advantage.
 
The Lynx staved off several Oglethorpe charges, and after a pair of buckets from Ryan Van Hoeck and Tyler Gee, and a Drew Miller three, head coach Mike DeGeorge's squad worked out to their largest lead at 28-22 with 2:21 to play in the half. With a Brennan Sullivan jumper and a Luke  Collins basket to close the half, the Lynx took a 34-30 lead into halftime.
 
At the break, the Lynx were led by Ryan Van Hoeck who netted 16 first half points. Drew Patrick led the Petrels with 11 points. Rhodes shot 51.9 percent in the opening half, with an impressive 42.9 percent from beyond the three-point arc. The Lynx counterparts shot 52.9 percent in the first half.
 
A 16-3 run by the Lynx to open the half gave Rhodes their largest lead of the contest, a 17 point advantage with 12:11 to play. The Lynx fought to fend off any Oglethorpe advances, and maintained a double-digit lead until a Chase Wardlaw layup made the count 54-46 with 8:08 to play.
 
The sharp shooting DeGeorge squad maintained their distance, with a 40-46 advantage with 6:42 to play after a Miller trey. Oglethorpe, aided by the three, began to whittle down the Lynx lead, and after a three from Drew Patrick and Chris Lawrence, the Petrels had worked the Lynx lead to just six with 1:29 to play.
 
The Lynx defense and free throw shooting brought home the win down the stretch, and with four straight Luke Collins free throw conversions, Rhodes posted the 66-60 win over Oglethorpe.
 
Van Hoeck led all scorers with his 21 points, and was two rebounds shy of a double-double at eight.  Sullivan added 15 points to two steals and two assists, with Miller chipping in six points with six assists.
 
The Petrels were led by Drew Patrick, who notched 21 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks in the outing. Wardlaw added nine points in the outing.
 
In the contest the Lynx fired 44.6 percent from the field, and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc, while their counterparts shot 39.0 percent in the contest, with 34.8 percent shooting from deep. Rhodes out-rebounded the Petrels by a margin of 33-29, and outscored Oglethorpe in the paint 30-14. The Lynx forced 18 turnovers, turning them into 16 points.
 
Rhodes will be back in action on Jan. 11 in Rome, Ga. against Berry College.