DANVILLE, Ky. – The Birmingham-Southern men's basketball team advanced to the semifinal round of the 2018 Southern Athletic Association Championship Tournament on Friday, blowing past fourth-seeded Rhodes College 98-82.

On their way to the win, the Panthers, the fifth seed in the tournament, limited the notoriously high-scoring Lynx offense to 24 fewer points than its season average.

Junior Matty Rudak (Augustow, Poland/Millbrook School) led the Panthers on the offensive end. The 6-foot-8 forward dropped a season-high 25 points and 15 rebounds to go along with four blocks.

Four other Panthers hit double-digits to help upend the Lynx. All-SAA First Team forward Harrison Deneka (Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS) and All-SAA Honorable Mention Calvin Bak (Muscle Shoals, Ala./Muscle Shoals HS) each scored 13 points. Rich Yancey (Newnan, Ga./The Heritage School) had 11 points and Cole DenBesten (Orlando, Fla./Berry College) came off the bench to add another 11.

Up next, Birmingham-Southern will face the No. 8-seed Berry College, who upset the top seed and host Centre 97-93. The Panthers and Vikings will square off in Centre's Alumni Gymnasium on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 4 p.m. ET.

The Panthers swept Berry in the two regular season games they played. The winner of that game will earn a spot in the SAA title game.