BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Going undefeated in the Southern Athletic Association for the first time, the Birmingham-Southern men's basketball team wrapped up regular season play with a 61-53 win over Hendrix, Sunday afternoon in Bill Battle Coliseum.

The Panthers moved to 19-6 overall and a perfect 14-0 in the SAA; the Warriors fell to 4-21 overall and 3-11 in league play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The teams opened by playing to an 8-8 tie at the 15:34 mark, and it stayed close the rest of the way, with four more ties before Hendrix led 21-20 at the half.
• The Warriors opened the second half with a 9-1 run to pull ahead 30-21, but BSC put together a 13-2 run to take the lead, 34-32, with 14:19 left in the game.
• The Panthers built out to a seven-point lead, 47-40, but Hendrix kept shooting, and the score was tied 49-49 with 4:44 left on the clock.
• BSC scored sisx straight points after that to pull ahead by six with 30 seconds left in the game.
• After each team made two free throws and a layup, BSC sophomore Harrison Deneka made a layup with seven seconds left to help seal the win.

NOTABLE

• Seniors Alex Avery, John Crain, and Ross Welch were honored during a pregame ceremony for Senior Day.
• Avery led all players with 17 points and 14 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the year.
• Deneka also added 14 points on 6-10 shooting, and junior Evan Lewis scored 10 points.

UP NEXT

• BSC will host the 2016 SAA Championship next weekend, playing as the No. 1 seed. The Panthers will face Hendrix, the eighth seed, in quarterfinal action on Friday at 3 p.m.