BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Hendrix College men's basketball team nearly upset Southern Athletic Association regular season champion Birmingham-Southern College at Bill Battle Coliseum on Sunday.

The Warriors (4-21, 3-11) held a lead for the majority of the first 10 minutes of the second half. Tied at 40-40 with 10:20 to play, the Panthers (19-6, 14-0) went on a 7-0 run over the next three minutes. Back-to-back three-pointers by Hendrix guards Preston Smith and Travis Garrett  and another by Drew Nikolovski spurred a 9-2 run that tied the game at 49-49 with 4:44 remaining.

The Panthers pushed their lead back to six points, but a lay-up from junior center Gearen Littlefield made the game 57-53 with 18 seconds left. BSC's Evan Lewis hit a basket on their next trip down the court and a steal by Alex Avery and lay-up by Harrison Deneka secured the win for the SAA undefeated Panthers.

For the game, Hendrix shot 38.2 percent (21-of-55) from the floor, 5-of-20 from outside and 6-of-9 from the free throw line. BSC shot 45.7 percent (21-of-46) overall, 3-of-10 from three-point range and 16-of-28 at the line. The Panthers held a 37-31 rebounding edge.

Hendrix Notes
- Littlefield finished with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting and six rebounds.
- Nikolovski recorded 10 points, seven boards and a pair of steals.
- Smith also had 10 points with two assists and two steals.
- Forward John Ogle had six points and a career-high four assists.
- Freshman point guard Ryan Brady added eight points off the bench.

Birmingham-Southern Notes
- Alex Avery led the Panthers with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
- Deneka finished with 14 points and eight boards.
- Lewis scored 10 points off the bench.

Up Next
Hendrix will return to Birmingham-Southern on Friday when the teams face off in the opening round of the SAA Tournament.