Rhodes Men's Basketball claimed the Southern Athletic Association Tournament Championship on Saturday night, defeating Trinity (Texas) 79–76 at The Cage Center to secure the program's first SAA tournament title since the 2016–17 season.

With the win, the Lynx improve to 23-4 overall and earn the SAA's automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship. Rhodes will learn its NCAA Tournament destination during the selection show on Monday, March 2 at 1 p.m. ET.

The victory capped a dominant season series for Rhodes, which went a perfect 3-0 against Trinity this year.

Jackson Huxtable led the Lynx with a game-high 25 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting performance, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line. He added four rebounds, four assists, and two steals in a complete championship effort.

Phil Dotson, who was named Tournament MVP, finished with 18 points while shooting 4-of-6 from three-point range and adding four assists and three steals. Both Dotson and Huxtable were selected to the SAA All-Tournament Team following their standout performances throughout the weekend.

Shawn Jones Jr. provided a strong presence on both ends with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and four steals, while Trevor Lombard contributed eight points and four rebounds. Jack Dempsey controlled the glass with a team-high nine rebounds to go with seven points.

As a team, Rhodes shot 50.0 percent from the field and an impressive 45.8 percent (11-of-24) from three-point range while converting 76.2 percent at the free throw line. The Lynx defense generated nine steals and turned Trinity miscues into 22 points.

Rhodes established control early, building a halftime lead and later pushing the margin to more than 20 points in the second half before closing out the championship victory in the final minute.

With the conference trophy secured, the Lynx now await their postseason fate. Rhodes will represent the Southern Athletic Association in the NCAA Division III Championship field, which will be announced Monday afternoon.