Memphis - After another close 30 minutes of play, Rhodes College men's basketball fell to Birmingham-Southern College 83-63 Saturday over opening weekend.  

For the second day in a row, the Panthers led the Lynx by two points at halftime. Rhodes, however, edged BSC in shooting percentage in the first half as the Lynx held the Panthers to just one made three-pointer on 10 attempts. BSC returned the favor in the second half  as the Lynx connected on just one of 17 three-point attempts while the Panthers rendered a 44-26 point advantage.

The second half continued to remain close in the first seven minutes of action until the Panthers scored 11 straight points to go up by 13, holding on to their double-digit lead the remainder of the contest. 

Jalen Essick and Arness Georgetown II both scored 15 points to lead the Lynx. Georgetown also secured seven rebounds while Jackson Hiester led the boards for Rhodes with nine and Koki Wiley wrapped up six. BSC finished the game with a 42-34 rebounding advantage.

After shooting almost .550 in the field in the first half, the Lynx went 10-of-40 in the final 20 minutes (.250) to total a 38% shooting percentage in the game. BSC averaged 51.5%, going 34-of-66 overall.

Rhodes is scheduled to be on the road the next two weekends against Southern Athletic Association opponents. The Lynx first travel to Centre College next weekend to take on the Colonels on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 4 p.m. ET, followed by a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday.