Upstart Hendrix Claims 2014-15 Title - Mar 3, 2015

For the first time in SAA history a tournament six seed took home the hardware as Hendrix College shocked Rhodes, 73-70 to win the 2014-15 Men's Basketball title and automatic trip to the NCAA Tournament.
With 1:29 remaining, the sixth-seeded Hendrix College men's basketball team trailed top seed Rhodes College 65-64 and the Lynx had built up a head of steam, and looked poised to roll over the visiting underdogs. Senior Luke Vance (6'4''-F) decided that his career was not going to end in Memphis on Sunday. He scored the go-ahead bucket on the next Hendrix possession putting the Warriors ahead for good. Hendrix earned their first Southern Athletic Association Championship, downing Rhodes 73-70 on Sunday at Mallory Gym.
Vance finished with a career-high 23 points and nine rebounds to earn SAA Tournament MVP honors, while Hank Aldous (6'5''-G) dropped a career-high 32 points to shoulder the offense for Hendrix, clinching the program's first NCAA Tournament berth since the 1995-96 season. Aldous was clutch down the stretch, scoring 12 points in the final eight minutes of play to carry the Warriors. Yesterday's hero Drew Nikolovski (6'1''-G) finished with eight points while Friday's star Gabe Gumm (5'8''-PG) scored six points and dished off six assists.
The game was a back-and-forth affair with 12 ties and 16 lead changes. Neither team led by more than six points on the day. In the first half, the Warriors generated most of their offense by going through Aldous. The junior had 15 points at the break, more than half of the team's points, but the team still trailed 31-28.
In the second half, Hendrix opened the frame on a 7-1 run, feeding Vance in the paint to try to get their senior leader going. The strategy worked for the Warriors as Vance scored 17 points in the second half, going 7-for-10 from the floor. Throughout the remainder of the game, the Hendrix offensive executed efficiently, shooting 16-for-22 (72.7%) from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
In the contest's final five minutes, the two teams trading blows, with the lead exchanging back and forth nine times in the final 4:44 before the Warriors finally claimed the lead for good on Vance's layup with 1:06 remaining. The next defensive stop by Hendrix proved to be the game's most important. Gabe Gumm (5'8''-PG) stepped in front of a Rhodes pass into the paint and knocked it out to Aldous, who went streaking down the court for a layup, putting the Warriors ahead 68-65 with 38 seconds left. From that point, Hendrix went 4-for-6 from the foul line to seal the victory and the conference crown.

Hendrix Notes
- Hendrix earned their first SAA Championship, as well as the program's first conference championship at the NCAA Division III level.
- The Warriors won three games by a total of seven points in the conference tournament, and became the lowest seed to ever win the SAA crown.
- The victory over the Lynx marks the first time since Jan. 21, 2011 that the Warriors came out victorious over their conference rival.
- Hank Aldous (6'5''-G)' 32-point performance is the first 30-point game by a Warrior since Jaren Riley scored 33 against Ozarks on Nov. 20, 2012.
- Vance was named Tournament MVP after averaging 16.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in the tournament. Aldous was named to the SAA All-Tournament Team.

Rhodes Notes
- Drew Miller (6'4''-G) finished with 18 points for the Lynx while Geoff Livsey and Brennan Sullivan each dropped 16 points.
- The loss marked their first home loss against a conference opponent this season. The Lynx had won their last 10 home games against SAA foes.
- Rhodes finishes their season with an overall record of 20-7 and will hope to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

SAA Tournament Final: Hendrix - Rhodes 73-70
SAA Tournament Semifinals:
Hendrix - Centre 55-53
Rhodes - Birmingham Southern 73-54

Courtesy of SAA-Sports