CONWAY - Hendrix and Rhodes went shot-for-shot on Wednesday in their Southern Athletic Association (SAA) opener on Wednesday afternoon, with two overtime periods needed to separate the two sides. Rhodes would eventually win the contest 77-71.

Riley Brady shone in the loss, dropping a career-high 32 points to go along with 21 rebounds in what was the sophomore's most impressive performance to date.

After ending the first quarter level at 10-10, Rhodes outscored Hendrix 22-11 in the second frame to take a 32-21 lead into halftime. Bella Cates knocked down a couple triples coming out of the interval to bring the Warriors to within 7, but the Lynx were able to respond and with a flurry of their own and take their largest lead of the afternoon -- 12 -- at the 7:17 mark.

Trailing 41-29, Hendrix scored 9 unanswered points to start a 13-2 scoring run and cut Rhodes' lead to 1.

With 3:57 left in regulation, Brady sank two free throws to tie the game at 53-53, and two Cates' free throws just 40 seconds later gave the Warriors their first lead since early in the second quarter. Cates would come up clutch from the line once more late in the game, as she sank two with 32 seconds remaining to tie the game at 57-57 to help send the contest to overtime. 

Both teams struggled offensively in the first overtime period, combining for just 8 points in the five minute period. Rhodes jumped out to a 71-64 lead midway through the second overtime, though Hendrix was eventually able to cut the Lynx lead to 2 with 0:14 left in the period. However, the Lynx were able to convert from the line down the stretch and kill off any chance of a Warrior comeback.

Hendrix (7-7, 0-1 SAA) will return to Grove Gymnasium on Tuesday as they host Millsaps for a 1:00 PM tip-off with the defending SAA Champions.