JACKSON, Miss. (Dec. 17) -- Hendrix College and Millsaps College played through 14 lead changes and eight ties with the Warriors coming out on top, 58-57, for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) victory on Friday afternoon at The Hangar Dome.
Hendrix (5-2, 2-1 SCAC) grabbed the final lead change on a 3-pointer from junior Avery Roller with just over 10 minutes left in regulation and the Warriors went up by six points, 52-46, (their largest lead of the game) on a jumper from junior Jordan Henderson with 7:06 to go. However, the Majors tied the game with a 6-0 swing over the next three minutes, 52-52, with 4:11 on the clock.
Henderson and Millsaps sophomore Shante Morton traded shots from behind the arc on the next two possessions to make it a 55-55 affair with 2:05 left, before Hendrix junior Anna Roane knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer (her second of the day) off an assist from Henderson with 1:44 remaining. Junior Samantha Devlin earned the assist on Henderson's lone 3-pointer of the day.
Majors' sophomore Lovie Love made it a one-point contest, 58-57, with 53 seconds on the clock and a pair of Warrior turnovers nearly cost them the game. Morton missed a layup and a jumper inside the last 10 seconds. Hendrix senior Christina Byler grabbed the defensive rebound on Morton's second miss and the Warriors ran out the clock to seal the deal.
Neither team led by more than five points in the first half as they battled through 11 lead changes and four ties, finishing the first 20 minutes with Millsaps on top, 30-28. The Majors opened the second half with an 8-0 run to earn the largest lead of the game, 38-28, with 17:43 on the scoreboard. The Warriors responded with a 10-1 run over the next four minutes to snatch the 40-39 advantage. Byler capped off the spree with her third 3-pointer of the game on an assist from Devlin.
Byler paced Hendrix with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, including 4-of-6 from long range. Byler also grabbed nine rebounds. Roane finished with nine ponts on 3-of-6 shooting. First year Jamie Tate led the way with a game-high 11 rebounds, while Devlin and junior Caty Hensy pulled down seven boards apiece. Henderson dished out a team-high four assists. Devlin also added three assists and was 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Morton and Love led Millsaps with 20 and 19 points, respectively. Morton also snagged 10 rebounds for the double-double and tallied a team-high four assists. Junior Janice Okeke collected eight points, two assists, two blocks and two steals.
Hendrix improves to 24-11 all-time against Millsaps and heads into the holiday break tied with Millsaps for the most conference wins in the SCAC West Division. The Warriors will be back in action on Dec. 30 with they travel to NCAA South Region foe Mississippi College for a 5:30 p.m. CT contest. Hendrix is on the road for six more games until the team returns Jan. 21 to host SCAC East Division rival Rhodes College.
For more information on Hendrix Athletics please visit www.hendrixwarriors.com or contact Brian Rejer, Sports Information Director, at (501) 450-1426. Also, be sure to follow the Warriors on Twitter by checking out @Warrior_SID.
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