JACKSON, Miss. (January 14, 2022) - It took the entire 40 minutes of gametime, but by the time the final buzzer sounded, the Rhodes Lynx found themselves on the winning side of things for the first time in five tries as they defeated the Millsaps Majors 60-58 on Friday evening. The win moves Rhodes to 6-8 (1-3 SAA) on the year while Millsaps falls to 2-11 (0-3 SAA).

The Lynx fell behind 7-0 to start things off, but battled their way back to a tie with a 7-0 run of their own early on. The Lynx gameplan was to look down low early were Arness Georgetown II set up shop. The big man scored four straight points around the 13-minute mark, followed by four more points in the paint from Seth Aeschliman and Jefferson Walker. Jalen Essick and Koki Wiley would then take over control of the offense, combining to score nine of the next eleven points for the Lynx. Rhodes would lead by as many as five, but a pair of buckets from the Majors at the end of the half tied things up leading into the break. 

Jalen Essick had the hot hand in the second half, connecting on a floater in the paint, a layup, and a three ball that gave Rhodes a 37-32 lead early in the final half. The Majors would then go on a scoring run that gave them a lead that extended all the way to 46-41. Walker then stepped up in a big way fro Rhodes, cashing in a midrange jumper and another shot from the painted area to  make it a one possession game. Three free throws form Georgetown, followed by a Zavien Williams layup knotted the score at 50 with under six minutes remaining. The two teams then swapped buckets, but it was a Walker three with 2:24 to go that gave Rhodes a late lead. Millsaps took the lead back on the next possession, followed by a response from Williams. His jumper with under two minutes to go, followed by free throws from Essick, Georgetown, and Walker put the game out of reach for the Majors, as Rhodes took it 60-58.

Georgetown was the leading scorer for the Lynx, knocking down seven of ten free throws and four shots from the floor for 15 points. Essick finished with 14 while Walker was the only other Lynx in double digits with 10. On a night where the shots were not falling for the offense, the Rhodes defense stepped up by winning the rebound battle 29-23 and forcing 13 Millsaps turnovers. 

Next up for Rhodes is another SAA matchup. They will face Birmingham Southern in Alabama on Sunday afternoon. First tip is scheduled for 3:00 pm.  Read Full Article