Conway, Ark. - To quote Time magazine's Person of the Year, it's been a long time coming, but... the Hendrix Warriors finally got off the mark for 2024 with a gutty 79-71 win over the Centre Colonels on Friday night at Grove Gymnasium to snap a 9-game losing streak and earn their first win of the season in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA).

With students back on campus, the Grove was the number one place to be in Conway, with the back-and-forth action rising to meet the raucous atmosphere on Friday night.

In a game where the home side never trailed, Hendrix continued to feel the heat entire night from a Colonels squad that continued to hit crucial shots in high-leverage situations to keep the contest tight for much of the forty minutes.

But Coach McCracken's Warriors were up to the challenge, and they benefited from a number of key contributions that kept Hendrix in the driver's seat en route to a win that just might turn the page on what was a difficult start to league play.

Caleb Squires led the Orange and Black with 19 points and was an electric 4-of-8 from behind the arc.

Colten Berry and Darvis Rasberry, Jr. each finished with a double-double. The big men's impact at the rim and on the boards kept the Colonels at bay and set up multiple scoring runs to maintain the home side's momentum over forty minutes.

Daniel Cobb and Braden Weaver finished with 11 points a piece after surviving early foul trouble and both hit crucial shots when the Warriors needed them most.

Jonathan Ryan added 9 points off the bench, 2 of those coming off a baseline dunk with 7:25 to play to extend Hendrix's delicate lead to six.

The win improves Hendrix to 3-14 (1-7 SAA) and they will now look to bring their newfound momentum into Sunday's matinee with the Sewanee Tigers, who defeated the Warriors last Sunday at Juhan Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 3:00 PM at Grove Gymnasium.