MEMPHIS, Tenn. (January 9, 2022) - The Rhodes Lynx once again showed tremendous fight, overcoming a 16-point deficit early on to win 71-61 against the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels on Sunday afternoon at Mallory Gym. The win, Rhodes' fourth in a row, moves them to 11-2 (3-0 SAA) on the year while Oglethorpe drops to 3-10 (0-2 SAA). 

Rhodes came out rusty in the first quarter. Taya Lee put the first points of the game on the board with a layup, but then the Lynx defense allowed eight straight points. Catherine Althoff added another bucket down low, followed by a three-point-play from A'Niya Lagarde to make the score 10-7. After both teams traded points, Oglethorpe pulled away with back-to-back baskets from Omotese Ajorgbor and a three from Emma Perna to finish the quarter with a 26-13 lead. 

The lead would extend to 16 in the second quarter as the Petrels nailed a three on their first possession. Undeterred, the Lynx again focused their offensive attack in the paint. Taya Lee converted on three straight possessions, followed by a nice finish from Althoff. Both teams went cold shortly thereafter before a three from Ellen Hagen made the score 31-24. Althoff then connected ona  triple as well, followed by a runner in the lane from Hagen to make it a four-point game with under three to go in the half. Two defensive stops and two Althoff makes tied things up at 33 all with a minute to go. An Alli Mayeux free throw then gave Rhodes a 34-33 lead at the half. Rhodes went from shooting 40% in the first quarter to shooting 53% in the second. More importantly, on the defensive end, they went from allowing Oglethorpe to score at a nice 69% clip in the first to 20% in the second. 

The third quarter saw each team take a lead as they traded buckets early on. Around the six minute mark, Lagarde was able to convert on a layup attempt to make the score 42-41. From there, the Lynx pounced into action. Lee added another bucket down low, followed by a three from Libby Long and two triples from Althoff. Althoff would add another layup before the horn sounded. By the end of the quarter, Rhodes had a comfortable 57-42 lead. Again, the Lynx defense stood out as they limited Oglethorpe to 4-17 shooting in the period. 

Rhodes then maintained their lead throughout the final period. The combo of Lee, Althoff and Lagarde proved to be too much for the Petrels to handle as the trip scored 11 of the Lynx 14 points in the final frame. Oglethorpe won the quarter 19-14, but it was too little too late as Rhodes held on for the 71-61 victory. 

Althoff had a monster game with 26 points and seven rebounds. Lagarde cashed in her fourth consecutive double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Alli Mayeux, the team's leading scorer, finished with only four points, but found other ways to impact the game by dishing out a game-high seven assists and grabbing nine rebounds. 

Rhodes will travel next weekend for a pair of SAA conference matchups. They will face Millsaps on Friday, January 14 at 6:00 pm, followed by a trip to Birmingham Southern on January 16 at 1:00 pm.