BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In the SAA quarterfinal showdown in Birmingham, basketball fans witnessed an intense matchup between the #2 seed Birmingham-Southern Panthers and the #7 seed Rhodes Lynx, ultimately ending in a hard-fought victory for the Lynx after the BSC comeback bid came up short.

From the opening tip-off, neither team trailed by more than two points during the initial five minutes, setting the stage for a tightly contested battle. However, as the first half progressed, the Rhodes offense gained momentum, finding a 10-point lead with 10 minutes remaining in the half.

The Panthers struggled to find their rhythm in the first half shooting 2-12 from the three-point line and turning the ball over ten times. Rhodes capitalized on their opportunities, connecting on 8 of 17 three-point attempts, Lynx starter Zavien Williams led the charge with seven successful long-range shots in the opening half.

Heading into the start of the second half, the Panthers found themselves trailing by a 20-point margin. However, the Southern offense came to life with 17 minutes left in the half. Kaleb Green and Jay Gillispie drove the comeback effort, combining for 20 points over the next 13 minutes and narrowing the deficit to a mere three points with six minutes remaining on the clock.

As the clock ticked down, both teams exchanged baskets, with the Panthers outscoring the Lynx 47-45 in the second half. However, BSC was ultimately unable to recover from 20-point deficit and shut down the Lynx offense, falling to Rhodes with a final score of 92-82. 

Records
Birmingham-Southern (15-11) (9-5 SAA), Rhodes (11-15) (4-10 SAA).