DANVILLE, Ky. – The Rhodes men's basketball team lost a heartbreaker on the road to Centre College on Friday in overtime, 57-54.
The Lynx fall to 14-5 on the year and 7-2 in league play while the Colonels move to 15-4 on the season and 6-3 in conference action.
The road battle lived up to the hype, with the current league leaders tangling with the defending Southern Athletic Association champions. Rhodes rushed to an early 4-0 lead with a pair of buckets from
Geoff Livsey, before the Colonels rode and 11-2 run to take a 11-6 lead by the 12:07 mark.
The Lynx erased the deficit after back-to-back
Keyshawn Butts three's knotted the contest at 16-16 by the 4:37 mark. Rhodes continued to roll, and after a 14-2 run to close the half, the Lynx established a 27-18 lead heading into the break.
Keyshawn Butts led all scorers at the midway point with seven points, shooting 2-3 from beyond the arc.
Brennan Sullivan and
Geoff Livsey each added six points to the Lynx totals. On the Colonels side, Tyler Wesley netted six points, with Blake Scinta chipping in four points.
Rhodes shot 39.1 percent from the floor in the first half, with a 36.4 three-point percentage. Centre shot 31.8 percent from the field, and was only 25.0 percent from three-point range.
The Lynx picked up right where they left off as Sullivan opened the half with a deep trey, and gave Rhodes the 30-18 lead. Following a
Luke Collins three with 16:13 to play, the Lynx posted a 35-24 lead.
Centre worked to etch away the Rhodes lead, but head coach
Mike DeGeorge's squad continued to have an answer. After the Colonels worked the Lynx lead down to just three, Livsey and
Drew Miller split through the lane to put up a pair of buckets, and a 45-38 lead by the 8:32 mark.
Following a Sullivan three at 5:58, the Lynx struggled to score, and the Colonels rode an 8-0 run to tie the contest at 48-48 with 1:20 to play. Neither team could muster a score, and a last second shot by Centre fell short, forcing overtime.
In extra time, the Lynx struggled to score, while the Colonels had no trouble hitting from deep, as Josh Karsner knocked down a three to open play to take a 51-48 lead. Rhodes fought back to tie the contest after a Collins lay in with 1:17 to play, at 52-52.
Following another tie after Miller hit a clutch layup, Centre answered with a Mike Geegan three to take the 57-54 lead with 19 seconds to play. The Lynx couldn't get a shot to fall, and the 57-54 score would stand.
Sullivan and Miller each finished with 14 points apiece. Miller picked up nine rebounds and two steals, while Sullivan snagged six rebounds and two assists. Livsey netted eight points and grabbed five rebounds. The Lynx shot 36.4 percent from the field in the contest, knocking down seven threes.
Centre was led by Scinta, who matched a game-high 14 points, and grabbed seven rebounds. Tyler Wesley added 12 points, and eight rebounds. The Colonels fired 40.9 percent from the field and 30.0 from beyond the arc.
Rhodes will stay on the road, and be back in action on Feb. 8 when the Lynx take on Sewanee.,
