MEMPHIS, Tenn. (February 13, 2022) - A game that was projected to be a high-scoring affair more than delivered on Sunday afternoon. Rhodes was facing the #1 scoring team in the country, the Birmingham Southern Panthers, and were able to outlast them, winning 112-92. The win was Rhodes' twelfth in a row, and maintained their undefeated (10-0) record in SAA play.
The two teams could not have been more different. The Panthers run a full-court trap press and used 15 bodies in the game, eleven of which played at least ten minutes. Rhodes, hit by a variety of maladies, only dressed eight players. Still, the Lynx showed toughness and incredible stamina en route to the 20-point win.
Rhodes won the first quarter 27-17 thanks to a tremendous shooting performance. The Lynx connected on 59% of their shots in the first, including 3-6 from three-point range. Conversely, BSC only managed 7-21 from the field, and shot 30% from three. After Birmingham Southern grabbed a 7-5 lead three minutes in, Rhodes rallied for a 14-0 run as they were able to break the Panther press and convert easy looks at the basket. All five starters and six total players scored for Rhodes in the first.
The energy was ramped up even more in the second quarter as the two teams combined to score 60 points (Rhodes 36, BSC 24). The Lynx were red-hot in the second, going 12-17 from the floor and an impressive 5-6 from three. Rhodes opened the quarter with an 11-0 run that included threes from
Libby Long,
Alli Mayeux, and Long again. Anytime BSC attempted a comeback, the Rhodes offense deterred them and kept a huge cushion on the scoreboard. When the threes weren't available, Rhodes went down low here
Catherine Althoff and
Taya Lee were dominating. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, Rhodes had a 63-41 lead.
The third quarter was the only victory of the day for the Panthers as they outscored Rhodes 33-24. The threes stopped falling for the Lynx as they only made one in the quarter. They still managed to shoot 50% from the floor, working the offense through Althoff. The sophomore scored 14 straight points in the middle of the third, using a variety of post moves, free throws, and a three to keep Rhodes ahead. Fatigue looked to set in late as BSC managed an 11-0 run to make the score respectable, but a layup from Mayeux right before the horn kept the momentum on Rhodes' side.
The fourth quarter went back the Lynx way as they outpaced the Panthers 25-18. Rhodes shot 61% from the floor in the fourth (11-18), with another heavy dose of Althoff doing work down low. She ended the day with a career-high 34 points and also set a career best in rebounds with 18. When the final horn buzzed, it was 112-92.
Five Lynx reached double figures in scoring, led by Althoff. Behind her were Mayeux (18 points, seven rebounds, six assists), A'Niya Lagarde (17 points, seven rebounds, four assists),
Libby Long (15 points, 5-10 3PM), and
Taya Lee (15 points, six rebounds).
Rhodes will look to finish the SAA regular season undefeated when they host Hendrix on Tuesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 pm central.
