CONWAY, Ark. – In a classic rematch of the 2018 Southern Athletic Association Championship Game, Hendrix (7-10, 3-3 SAA) got the best of Berry (11-5,4-2 SAA) in front of over 500 fans in a packed Grove Gymnasium as the Warriors recorded just eight turnovers to Berry's 17 as Hendrix hung on for a huge 66-63 SAA victory over the Vikings. Freshman forward Seth Stanley led the way for Hendrix after an 18-point, five-rebound performance Friday against the Vikings including an efficient 7-of-14 mark from the floor.

THE BASICS
Score:  Berry 63, Hendrix 66
Records: Vikings (11-5, 4-2 SAA) | Warriors (7-10, 3-3 SAA)
Location | Time: Conway, Ark. 8:00 PM
Get Social: Twitter | @HendrixWarriors | @HCscoreboard 
Up Next: Sunday vs Oglethorpe | 2 PM

TURNING POINT
Trailing by three points with 18:22 to go in regulation, senior guard Preston Smith, who is currently second all-time in three-pointer's made in Warriors Men's Basketball history, knocked in his lone trifecta of the evening to the game up at 40-all. Freshman forward Carl Fitch followed suit with a three-pointer of his own just over a minute later; part of a 17-0 run that allowed the home team to build a 10-point advantage with 13:29 left.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- After five lead changes in the opening five minutes of play and knotted up at 9-all, Hendrix accounted for an 11-4 run after a layup by freshman big man Alex Conrad with 11:34 left until halftime.
- With the Warriors leading by six, Berry recorded a 15-4 run to take a five-point advantage with over four minutes until intermission.
- After junior guard Jacob Link tied up the game at 31-all, Berry scored the final seven points of the first half as the Vikings held the 38-31 edge at the break.
- Berry struck with a layup with 19:16 left to take another seven-point lead but the Vikings would be held scoreless for the next seven-plus minutes as the Warriors took a 50-40 lead with 12 minutes to go. 
- With Hendrix up by seven with under six minutes left, Berry carved up a 3-0 run thanks to three free throw makes as the Vikings pulled within four with 4:59 left.
- Three free throw makes by Smith, a layup by Conrad, free throw make by sophomore guard Kam Brasfield and a bucket by Stanley allowed for 61-54 edge for the home team with 1:57 to go.
- Berry would nail two three-pointer makes in the final 15 seconds but it wasn't enough as Hendrix held on for a big 66-63 victory over Berry.

OF NOTE
- Playing for 23 minutes off the bench, Link tied his season-high with 10 points on 2-of-3 from deep and 4-for-6 from the free throw line.
- Brasfield accounted for nine points on 3-of-7 shooting; also added three rebounds and a pair of dimes.
- Fitch tallied eight points and a team-best eight rebounds; shot 2-for-2 from the floor and 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. 
- Smith and Conrad added six points apiece and combined to pull down six rebounds.
- Freshman forward Jake Riding recorded four points; all of which came in the opening 20 minutes of play.
- The Warriors shot 21-of-51 from the floor, 5-for-25 from deep and 19-for-24 (79.2%) at the free throw line while Berry shot 20-for-52 from the field, 8-of-20 from downtown and 15-for-22 (68.2%) at the charity stripe.

WHAT WAS SAID (WINS ONLY)
"I thought it was a great win," stated a proud Head Coach Thad McCracken. "Berry is one of the top teams in our league, obviously their record shows that. They've been playing really good basketball here lately. All in all, I'm proud of the way our guys played. I thought our upperclassmen stepped up and brought some toughness to the table today. We came out of the game to set the tone early. They had some guys make plays later on. We came out of the second half and dictated the game again early with our own physicality and were able to finish strong. I'm really proud of guys after we got a great win!"

WHO'S NEXT
With the Warriors conquering a huge home win against Berry on Friday, Hendrix will look for the weekend sweep with a pivotal SAA matchup against the Oglethorpe Petrels Sunday at 2 p.m. from inside Grove Gymnasium. Fans can watch the game live here.

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