BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Seth Stanley tallied season-highs in points (22), assists (7), rebounds (6), field goals (7), free throws (8) and free throw attempts (10), and Hendrix earned its first win in program history at Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) with an 82-72 victory Friday, the first of two contests between the teams in a 24-hour span. The Warriors also ended an 11-game skid in Bill Battle Coliseum and three-game Southern Athletic Association (SAA) win streak by the Panthers.

"Incredible effort by our guys tonight, especially on the defensive end of the floor," Hendrix head coach Thad McCracken said. "The Panthers came in averaging 88 points per game, so I couldn't be more proud of how our guys held them to 33 in the first half and 72 for the game. Our players locked in from the start and continued to play great individual and team defense throughout the game."

Hendrix (2-3, 2-3 SAA) forced 20 Birmingham-Southern (8-3, 5-2 SAA) turnovers, the most by the Panthers in their last seven games, and turned them into 25 points. The forced turnovers were a season-high and tied for the most for McCracken's squad in its last 50 games. The Orange and Black recorded a season-high six blocks and tied a season-best with 12 steals. The 72 points, seven assists and 39.4 shooting percentage (28-of-71) were all season-lows for Birmingham-Southern.

Stanley finished 7-of-13 from the floor and led all players in points and assists.

Damecko Johnson poured in 18 points off the Hendrix (2-3, 2-3 SAA) bench on 6-of-9 shooting, including a 2-of-4 effort from 3-point range and four made free throws (4-of-9). All were career-highs.

Trailing by one less than seven minutes into the game, the Orange and Black seized control with a 22-7 spurt over the next 10 minutes, with a combined 16 points coming from Stanley and Johnson. Hendrix led 43-33 at the break and by as many as 19 in the second half.

Jackson Parks chipped in 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the triumph. Sean Coman added nine points and seven boards. Alex Conrad pulled down eight rebounds.
 
"It's easy to look and see that Seth flirted with a triple-double, and don't get me wrong, he was incredible, but I thought a lot of guys made some big plays," McCracken commented. "We are also really excited for Mecko to score a career-high 18 points. He has improved his game so much and deserves every bit of the credit. It is always rewarding to see a senior grow and mature the way he has, and we are all just so happy for him tonight. 

"I thought we got great contributions from a lot of guys, and not all of those contributions will show up on a stat sheet. Again, those two guys (Stanley and Johnson) were great, but tonight's win was a total team effort."

The Warriors shot 47.7 percent (31-of-65) overall, 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from deep, went 14-of-24 from the free throw line and totaled 12 assists. The overall shooting percentage, field goals, free throws and free throw attempts were all season-highs, while the assists tied a season-high. The team's 12 turnovers were a season-low.

Hendrix held an edge in points in the paint, 46-40.

Cameron Glover scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a 5-of-8 mark from beyond the arc, in the loss. Christian Stewart recorded a double-double with 12 points and as many rebounds. Ben Spence grabbed 10 boards.

The Panthers shot 28 percent (7-of-25) from distance and 9-of-16 from the stripe.

"Now the challenge is to enjoy tonight's win but also stay locked in for tomorrow's game."

The second contest between the squads is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. CT.