MEMPHIS, Tenn. (January 7, 2022) - The Rhodes Lynx remained perfect at Mallory Gymnasium, winning their fifth game in five tries with a 68-60 win over the Berry Vikings on Friday night. The win,Rhodes' third in a row, moves the Lynx to 10-2 (2-0 SAA) while Berry falls to 6-6 (1-1 SAA). 

Rhodes only suited up seven players for their conference home opener, but all seven played a crucial role in Friday's win. Using their size advantage, the Lynx were able to jump out to an early lead thanks to a pair of layins from Taya Lee. Alli Mayeux followed that with a three and a pair of free throws to make the score 9-3. A'Niya Lagarde was the next to step up with a putback layup and two free throws. After Berry managed four points in a row to cut the lead to 13-9, Libby Long nailed the first of her four threes on the night to make it 16-9. By the end of the quarter, Rhodes held a 20-14 lead. 

The Lynx started the second quarter with a 6-0 run that included another triple from Long and a strong finish at the rim from Lagarde. Following a three from Berry, the Lynx once again rallied with eight straight points. Berry made a late push in the quarter, but Catherine Althoff was able to cash in from the block right before the buzzer to give Rhodes a 42-27 lead at halftime. 

In the third quarter, Berry added on-ball pressure to their game plan, and it paid off. With the Lynx struggling to find their shot, the Vikings were able to take advantage by outscoring Rhodes 16-8. Five different Vikings scored in the quarter as they made a late push to stay in the game. Rhodes, who only made three of 14 shots from the field, got four points from Lee and a three-pointer from Long. At the end of the third, the score was 50-43. 

Following the break, Rhodes went back to their bread and butter ... working the ball down low. The Lynx scored four buckets in the paint in the first five minutes of the final quarter, and also converted their free throws when fouls were called. There was a stretch of about three minutes where neither team put points on the board, which worked in the Lynx favor. With 90 seconds to go, Long nailed her fourth three of the game as the dagger that killed Berry's comeback chances. By the end of 40 minutes, the score was 68-60 in favor of the Lynx. 

Five Lynx scored in double digits, led by Long's 16. Lagarde and Mayeux each posted double-doubles, with A'Niya going for 12 points and 15 rebounds and Alli scoring 14 to go with 11 boards. It was the eighth double-double of the season for Mayeux. Kish Chandler was the Vikings' top performer with 14 points. 

Rhodes will return to action on Sunday afternoon when they host Oglethorpe University at Mallory Gym. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm.