Conway, Ark. - Rhodes women's basketball came away with a 69-47 victory Tuesday in their 2018 SAA opener. The victory is not on ly the first of the new year, but also the first conference win for first year head coach Lauren Sumski. The Lynx improve to 8-3 on the year. 

A string of defensive rebounds and made buckets gave the Lynx an 8-2 lead, forcing Hendrix to take a timeout midway through the first quarter. The Lynx led 16-4 and forced a second Hendrix timeout with 2:50 left before the break. Rhodes' rebounding and hot shooting gave them a 19-8 advantage headed into the second quarter. They shot over 70% in the field (8-11) and went 3-of-4 from three-point range while Hendrix managed just 21% accuracy.

Rhodes maintained a 26-11 lead in the second quarter with the shot clock winding down with four seconds. Alyssa Owens stepped back over the arc and pulled up the three-pointer. The Warriors would score five straight points to cut Rhodes' lead to 10 with 5:28 to go in the half. At halftime the Lynx led 35-27 and shooting 55.6% both in the field overall and from three-point range.

Rhodes broke open the second half with seven unanswered points for a 15-point lead. Hendrix finally got on the scoreboard with 5:35 to play after netting two free throws. The Lynx led 52-31 after Jessie Ustick nailed her fourth three-pointer of the game and took a 23-point lead after Owens finished a bucket on her way to the ground after getting fouled. Rhodes dominated the quarter with a 24-6 scoring advantage.

Hendrix tried to pull down the gap, scoring 16 points to Rhodes' eight in the final frame. 

Ustick and Allie Young led the game in scoring. Ustick went 8-of-11 overall and four-of-five from behind the arc to net 20 points and five rebounds. Young's 17 points came from eight buckets on 11 attempts. She led the Lynx with eight rebounds. 

Rhodes will host Berry on Friday at 6 p.m. followed by Oglethorpe on Sunday at 1 p.m.