MEMPHIS, Tenn. (March 4, 2022) - It was a tale of two halves for the Rhodes Lynx on Friday night as they faced the East Texas Baptist Tigers in Mallory Gymnasium. The Lynx held a lead heading into halftime, but a tough third quarter proved to be their downfall as the Tigers pulled away and eventually won, 65-53. Rhodes ends the season with a 23-3 record, while ETBU improves to 21-5. 

The Rhodes faithful were out in full force as the Lynx hosted Tigers. Both teams seemed to be suffering from an initial wave of nervousness as only nine points were scored at the first media timeout. Coming out of the break, Alli Mayeux stroked a three from the wing to tie things up at six. That was followed by a nifty lay-in from Alexys Mathangani to give the Lynx their first lead of the game. Catherine Althoff got in on the action with a layup, and Mathangani connected for a second time in the final minute to give Rhodes a 12-10 lead after one. 

Althoff then got things started in the second with a three. ETBU answered with five straight points to tie the score. Impressive defense was being played by both sides as scoring was at a premium in the first half. The two teams traded buckets for a while, and then the Tigers got a three from Taylor Singleton to go ahead 24-22. In the final minute, Mayeux connected from deep again and Althoff had a tremendous drive and layup with only one second left on the clock to give Rhodes a 27-24 lead at the half. 

The third quarter spelled disaster for the Lynx as the changing of sides apparently also included putting a lid on the rim. The Lynx only made three shots on 18 attempts in the period, as opposed by ETBU's 7-17. Rhodes captured a wave of momentum near the end of the period, with a Libby Long three and a Mathangani layup in the final minute, but the Tigers would win the quarter 17-8 and take a six point lead into the fourth.

The Tigers came out aggressively in the fourth, opening the quarter with a 12-0 run to put the game out of reach. Taya Lee snapped the scoring streak with a free throw, but the damage had already been done. To the Lynx' credit, they did not go down without a fight. They continued to play hard, and did a good job of getting to the line late. A fitting end to the Rhodes season came at the hands of Mayeux, the SAA Player of the Year, who knocked down a wing three with five seconds to go to make the final score of 65-53.

Rhodes struggled to make shots all night, finishing just 17-67 from the floor. Althoff was the leading scorer with 15 points, and had a double double with 10 rebounds as well. Mayeux finished with 13 and Mathangani had 10. 

The loss is a tough end to what is arguably the greatest season in team history. The Lynx went as high as #18 in the WBCA poll; they had a win streak of 16 games; they went undefeated in conference play and swept the SAA tournament; they had two players (Mayeux and Kiera Downey) eclipse the 1,000 point mark; and they won their second straight conference title. 

Despite the loss, head coach Rodney Rogan had nothing but positive things to say about his team. "This was an amazing group of individuals," said Rogan. "We had a lot happen both on and off the court, and our girls showed resiliency, rallied around each other, and put together a phenomenal season."

He was quick to recognize Downey, a preseason All-American selection, who tore her ACL in December against Emory. "Kiera was a great teammate. Even after her injury, she was at every practice, every game, cheering her teammates on. She inspired the girls to play hard and win. She is what this program is all about."

Seniors Ellen Hagen and Alli Mayeux were disappointed in how the season ended, but now how the team played. "I was blessed to play here four years, and I'm extremely proud of what we accomplished," remarked Hagen.

And to hammer the point home, Mayeux stated "This was the most fun I've ever had playing basketball."