MEMPHIS - Freshman Sara Giesen scored a career-high 12 points off the bench while senior Symone Daniels added 11 points as the Rhodes College women's basketball team used a 17-6 third quarter advantage to knock of the Birmingham-Southern Panthers, 62-57.

Rhodes only 20-for-58 (34.5%) from the field, but got it done with the deep ball, finishing 8-for-20 on the night while also adding a stellar 14-for-16 (87.5%) from the charity stripe. On the other end, the Panthers shot 20-for-56 (35.7%) from the field and 7-for-27 (25.9%) from deep. Birmingham-Southern only committed seven turnovers, but the Lynx were able to force all seven in the second half. 

Rhodes also outrebounded BSC, 50-30, and held a 23-8 advantage in points in the paint.

The two teams traded buckets in the first quarter as the game was tied at 12 thanks in part to six points off the bench from sophomore Jessie Ustick. The Lynx had the daunting task of trying to slow down Yorisha Bryant of BSC, who scored the team's first six points.

After falling behind 16-12 to start the second, back-to-back threes from junior Blaire Smith and sophomore Erin Deery gave Rhodes an 18-16 lead. The Lynx would turn that four points deficit into a 10- run as they pushed their lead to six after junior Bailey Kramer went to work in the paint.

Rhodes pushed that lead out to seven as Giesen fired on a huge three for a 26-19 lead. The Panthers responded with an 8-0 run to grab a 27-26 lead, but a three pointer from Deery late in the quarter sent the Lynx into the locker room with a 29-27 advantage.

Rhodes exploded out of the gates to start the second half as Daniels scored back-to-back buckets in the paint and senior Catherine Eckert and Giesen connects on back-to-back three pointers as the Lynx were on a 13-0 run beginning late in the first half to move ahead 39-27. The Lynx continued to dominate as they held a 46-33 lead at the end of three quarters.

BSC did not go away quietly. Despite Rhodes maintaining a 10-point lead with less than three minutes remaining, the Panthers got it as close as three with under a minute left. However, free throws from Eckert, Giesen, and Smith proved to be the difference as the Lynx came away with one of their biggest victories in 2016.

Giesen finished 3-for-4 from deep and added three rebounds while Daniels added nine boards, one steal, and a block to her night. Kramer, who spent most of the night guarding Bryant, finished with eight points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and three assists while Eckert scored seven and pulled down nine boards. Smith had four assists to go with seven points while freshman Danielle Summers had three assists. Ustick scored eight points off the bench and had five boards.

For BSC, Bryant still had a terrific contest, going for 18 points, 11 boards, and two blocks. Halle Knowles added 12 points and three steals.

Rhodes moves to 10-8 on the year and 4-3 in the Southern Athletic Association, moving into a tie for third place with their upcoming opponent, Millsaps College. The two rivals have met in the SAA Championship Game two of the last three seasons with the Lynx coming away victorious in both contests. With BSC playing top-ranked Hendrix, Rhodes could potentially move into a tie for second place by the end of the day. Tipoff with the Majors is set for 1 p.m. at Mallory Gymnasium.