MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Hendrix College men's basketball team held an early lead against their Southern Athletic Association rival on Wednesday night, but eventually fell to the Rhodes College Lynx 78-63 in both teams' conference opener.

Alec Conard led the way for the Warriors' offense, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including a perfect 2-for-2 effort from beyond the arc. Luke Vance also had 13 points while Hank Aldous chipped in with 11. All three Warriors tallied a team-leading five rebounds on the night. 

The Lynx got off to a fast start in front of their home crowd, running out to a 9-0 lead in the first three minutes of play. Hendrix responded with a 21-10 run over the next eight minutes to gain a 21-19 lead. Alec Conard provided the Warriors with a spark off the bench, scoring five straight points to cap the run and help the visiting team to take their first lead of the night.

An unlikely three-pointer from forward John Ogle, his first of the season and just the fourth of his career, gave the Orange and Black their largest lead of the night as they went ahead 24-20 with 7:38 left in the first half.

The Lynx took over from there, waking up with a 10-point surge to take a 30-24 lead. The home team closed out the first half on a 19-8 run to take a 39-32 lead into the locker room at the halftime break.

In the second half, Hendrix continued to pound the ball inside to Vance and Conard as they traded buckets with the Lynx. The Warriors cut down the lead to just four on a pair of free throws from Aldous, making it 47-43 with 15:42 left in the game, but that was as close as the visitors would come to regaining the lead. 

Rhodes pulled away with a 16-6 run over the next four minutes and never looked back. The Lynx maintained their double-digit lead for the rest of the contest, earning the 15-point win over the Warriors.

In the final minutes of play, freshman Sean Criswell and sophomore Bryce Parker each scored their first career points for the Warriors. Criswell finished with one point and an assist while Parker scored four points and pulled a rebound.

Hendrix falls to 2-4 on the season and begins their SAA schedule with an 0-1 mark. The Warriors will return to action on Saturday, December 6 when they travel to Sherman, Texas to take on non-conference opponent Austin College.