MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - Berry (Ga.) defeated Hendrix, 66-55, on Friday inside the Cage Center in the first of two Southern Athletic Association (SAA) matchups between the two teams in less than 24 hours.

"I thought we played well for the first 30 minutes of the game," Hendrix head coach Thad McCracken said. "We turned the ball over too many times in the first half and then got beat on the glass too much in the second half. Credit to Berry for making the big plays in the last 10 minutes."

Drew Jones scored 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go along with six rebounds for Berry (3-0, 3-0 SAA). Micah Johnson added 13 points, while Michael Johnson had 11. Chase Ellis tallied a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Vikings shot 41.1 percent (23-of-56) overall, 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from 3-point range and 11-of-15 from the free throw line. Berry was 6-of-12 from deep in the second half and outscored Hendrix (1-2, 1-2 SAA) by 15 in the period.

Seth Stanley finished with 12 points for the Warriors, while Tyler Deithloff added 10. Alex Conrad contributed nine points and as many boards.

Stanley also had a pair of blocks.

Hendrix blistered the nets in the first half, going 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from the floor and 11-of-13 within the arc, to take a 33-29 upper hand into intermission. 

The Warriors shot 37.5 percent (21-of-56) overall and 9-of-16 from the stripe, including 5-of-8 in the first 20 minutes.

The second contest between the squads is scheduled for Saturday at 12 p.m. CT.