Memphis - Rhodes College men's basketball hosted their annual Tip-Off Tournament over Homecoming Weekend this year. Rhodes defeated Millikin in a thrilling matchup (85-70) which had fans in Mallory Gymnasium on their feet for most of the game. The win propelled the Lynx to the championship game on Sunday against Benedictine where the Eagles downed the Lynx 80-58. 

Millikin
Against Millikin the Lynx recorded the following season-highs: averaged .525 in the field, 11 three-pointers (.500), 19 assists, seven blocks, seven steals, and a season-low 12 turnovers. Five different Lynx hit double digits including Presto Giroux and Jalen Essick who both totaled the game-high 13 points. Giroux went 6-of-8 in the field overall while Essick went 3-of-4 from three-point range. Kevin Shen totaled 12 points and Jake Nestlehutt 11 points (3-of-6 3PT) while Mac James led the game with seven assists. On the boards, Koki Wiley recorded six rebounds. 

Rhodes found themselves down by eight points early in the game after a Millikin dunk but a 13-4 run put the Lynx right back in the game. Wiley Pippenger tied the game on two free throws with 5:39 left in the first half as the Lynx scored seven points in a row. The game was tied 35-35 with 1:16 left before Rhodes closed out the half with four points. Five unanswered points after the halftime break put Rhodes up by nine. In the middle of the second half, a 12-1 run broke open the game with Rhodes taking a 19-point lead. Ultimately the Lynx led by as many as 22 points on their way to picking up their second win of the year. 

Benedictine
The championship game on Sunday was all about runs. Rhodes opened the game with a 9-2 advantage before a timeout sparked 12 straight points for Benedictine. The Eagles led 32-18 with 4:41 left in the first half but Rhodes scored 12 unanswered points and trailed by only two with 1:21 left. Benedictine closed out the half with a three-pointer to lead by five at the break. The Eagles scored 14 points in a row in the middle of the second half to break open the game with a 26-point lead. 

Benedictine out-rebounded the Lynx 38-26 and averaged .516 in the field while Rhodes tallied 16 turnovers and averaged .412 overall. 

Wiley Pippenger led the Lynx with six points while Koki Wiley totaled five in addition to his team-leading 15 points. The freshman went 6-of-9 in the field and added three assists. 

Rhodes will not have another home game until the middle of December. The Lynx will head to Louisiana College on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. game before traveling to Belhaven the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.