Box Score Memphis - After trailing by only two points at halftime, Rhodes men's basketball concluded their season opener with an 88-76 loss to Birmingham-Southern after the Panthers went on a 16-point run in the middle of the second half.

After arriving to campus on January 4, and with only 9-10 days of practice, Rhodes finished their first game of the season with four Lynx scoring double digits. BSC improves to 4-1. The Panthers won all three games they played in December, before opening the new year with a four-point road loss to Belhaven on Jan. 2. 

The Lynx jumped out to a 10-2 lead before the visiting Panthers scored 10 straight to lead 21-18. A layup by Lynx freshman TJ Clayton put Rhodes ahead by one, their final lead of the game, with 6:24 remaining in the first half. BSC then scored six unanswered points to help spread the distance before Rhodes pulled within two (38-36) at the end of the half. 

Rhodes only trailed by five with 11 minutes left. BSC picked up momentum after draining three straight treys on their way to 16 unanswered points. The Lynx cut that lead down to 12 in the final six minutes of play which included seven  points from junior Mac James and five from sophomore Jefferson Walker. 

Koki Wiley led the game with 17 points after draining four of his five three-point attempts. James finished 5-of-6 for 15 points while Walker tallied a career-high 14 points and Arness Georgetown II made his collegiate debut with 13 points and five rebounds. Junior Kevin Shen led Rhodes with four assists and also tallied five rebounds alongside Wiley and Georgetown.

Thirty-three of BSC's game-leading 51 rebounds came on the defensive side of the ball. The Panthers had five players in double digits, led by Christian Stewart's 16 points. Ben Spence led the game with 11 rebounds. 

Both teams return to Mallory Gymnasium for a 1 p.m. tip-off. Fans can find live streaming links for the game here.