Jackson, Miss. - After trailing by seven points at halftime, Rhodes outscored Millsaps College 35-25 on their way to earning their first victory of the season. The Lynx held on for a 63-60 win in part to a 22-12 second half rebounding advantage. During the second half,
Jalen Essick and
Kevin Shen combined for 24 of Rhodes' 35 points.
The first win for head coach Steven "Zo" Goodson began with a nine-point deficit, but the Lynx secured six straight points to get back in the game. Rhodes trailed 27-24 with 2:43 left in the first half before Millsaps went into the break leading 35-28.
Rhodes trailed by six with 11 minutes left in regulation when Essick scored five points in a row to cut the Majors' lead with 9:42 to play. A free throw put Millsaps ahead by two but a
Koki Wiley jumper tied the game before
Jackson Hiester secured the bucket and the free throw after the foul to give Rhodes a 53-50 advantage with 8:32 to go. Over the next three minutes, Millsaps secured four points to take a brief lead. The teams were tied at 55, 56 and 57 points before Millsaps took a three-point lead with just over three minutes to play.
A layup from Shen with two minutes to go pulled the Lynx within one. Shen then grabbed a defensive board and after a Lynx timeout, Wiley scored the winning three-pointer with 1:12 remaining on an assist from
Mac James. Millsaps missed a layup with 13 seconds left to tie the game and an
Arness Georgetown II defensive rebound forced the Majors to foul. James secured Rhodes' final point on a free throw. Georgetown brought down a defensive board with four seconds left to help the Lynx secure the victory.
Essick led Rhodes with 16 points while Shen (15) and Wiley (11) also hit double digits in scoring. Georgetown led the game with 10 rebounds while adding seven points. Essick went 7-of-9 in the field and also tallied seven rebounds.
Rhodes shot .404 compared to Millsaps' .375. The Lynx also held a 37-26 rebounding advantage and made 15 of 18 free throw attempts.
Rhodes and Millsaps are set for a 12 p.m. rematch Sunday in the Hangar Dome.
