MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - Men's Basketball competed at home against Rhodes College on Sunday afternoon where 42 points from Braxton Benham catapulted the Vikings past the Lynx in overtime, 78-72. 

An undeniable effort from a determined Braxton was the story of the game. Benham poured in a colossal career-high 42 points to go along with 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 6 steals. His game total in points and steals are just shy of single-game school records. 

Accompanying Braxton as double-digit scorers were Jacob Morgan with 14 points and 6 rebounds and Nile King who added 10 points to go along with 3 rebounds and 3 monumental blocks on the defensive end.  

The game began with a usual sight for Vikings fans, as Benham swindled a Rhodes ball handler with a steal which led to Jacob Morgan converting an easy layup to get things going in the Cage Arena. After falling behind 15-11 midway through the first half, Braxton Benham showcased his much improved three-point shooting ability as he stepped back and drilled a three off a beautiful swing pass from Parker Godwin to ignite The Cage once again. A few plays later, Freshman forward Nile King welcomed himself to the party as he weaved around his defender and finished a contested layup that tied the game at 16 with 8:40 left in the first half.  

Just a few possessions later, Berry captured the lead when Jacob Morgan buried a three-pointer off of a textbook pass from Isaac Martin that gave the Vikings a 21-19 lead with 7:18 to play. Following a three-minute scoring drought from both teams, Benham took things into his own hands when he drilled another three-pointer to provide some breathing room with a five-point lead with 4:36 left in the half.  

The first-half fireworks were not over though, as Berry broke as Nile King finished with a resounding two-hand jam that kept Berry ahead by five with a minute and thirty seconds remaining in the first half. The first half ended with the Vikings ahead, 29-24. 

The second half consisted of extremely tight play between the two teams. With the momentum still in the balance, the Vikings' defensive pressure ended in offensive production when Nile King came up with a steal and dished the ball to Benham, who sent an outlet pass to Canon Armstead in transition, who found Nile King under the basket for another riveting two-hand slam to give the Vikings a 43-38 lead with thirteen minutes left in the second half. A 9-3 run got the Lynx back into it though as they took a 47-46 lead with 9 minutes left in regulation. 

The teams continued to trade baskets down the stretch of the second half. With just two minutes to go, the Vikings had fallen behind 64-58 with just 2 minutes left. An unforced error by Rhodes led to a turnover that gave the Vikings life. With 28 seconds left, Jacob Morgan finished a tough layup to cut the Rhodes lead to just four points. Then a missed free throw on the front end of a Rhodes one-and-one created an opportunity for Braxton Benham who seized the moment with a terrific layup at the rim. After Rhodes split a pair of free throws to make it a 3-point game, Benham decided to do it himself again, weaving his way down the court for yet another layup. Another split from Rhodes at the free-throw line left the door open for the Vikings. Benham took full advantage off a missed free throw when he dashed down the court and euro-stepped past his defender to finish another layup that knotted things up at 66 and sent the game to overtime. 

The overtime period began in the same fashion as the end of regulation, with Braxton breaking down his defender and getting to the lane for another layup and a 68-66 lead. Following two Benham made free throws on the following offensive possession, Rhodes responded with 6 straight points off of two three-pointers to take a 72-70 lead with 3 minutes left in overtime. 

Just after that, the senior captain Benham kept his composure. He drove to the lane and drew two defenders and wrapped a pass around to Parker Godwin for a layup that drew the game back even at 72 with 1:25 left to play. Following a Berry stop on defense, Benham forced his way to the basket and elevated to connect on a beautiful jump shot off the glass that gave the Vikings back the lead. Braxton was not done there though, he found a vulnerable ball handler on the ensuing Rhodes possession and picked his pocket. After a Lynx foul, Benham drilled two free throws that put the game on ice, as Berry completed the miraculous comeback victory, 78-72.  

The Vikings will return to the court on February 7 at 9 PM ET on the road at Sewanee in what will be a monumental SAA contest, with first place in the balance.