CONWAY, Ark. – The Millsaps men's basketball team made history by taking down Hendrix, 71-62 inside the Grove Gymnasium on Sunday. The Majors improved to 4-2 in SAA action, which is the program's best conference start dating back to the 2007-08 season.
Millsaps (5-11, 4-2 SAA) was locked in over Hendrix (3-10, 0-5 SAA) with a 10-4 advantage in second-chance points, while carrying a 39-27 lead in bench points. The Majors also dominated their opponent with a 16-8 margin in fast breaks and outscored the Warriors, 32-20 in the paint.
Sophomore Dakota Gasca tallied 17 points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds on defense while shooting 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. Junior Nicholas Ughovwa garnered a career-high 15 points, while adding seven rebounds, an assist and two blocks. Rodney Phillips Jr. recorded 11 points, nine rebounds alongside one steal and an assist. Freshman Cameron Lumar posted 12 points, three assists, five rebounds and one steal.
In the first half Hendrix took an early 4-0 lead, but was stopped by Millsaps as Gasca used a 3-pointer and a jumper to push ahead, 8-5.
Senior TJ Hogan and junior Drew Roth would utilize back-to-back treys to finish off the half and help the Majors regain the lead just before intermission. An Ughovwa layup would send the Majors into halftime leading, 33-29.
The second half featured balanced scoring between both teams throughout as Hendrix held a 57-49 advantage with 7:34 to play. A pair of Phillips Jr. free throws punctuated a 9-0 Millsaps run to help regain the lead with 4:30 to play.
Back-to-back Ughovwa layups, a Gasca jumper and pair of free throws further pushed Millsaps ahead, 66-59 with 2:08 remaining. The teams traded free throws as the Majors battled back to hold off and defeat the Warriors, 71-62.
The Majors will be back in action on Friday against Oglethorpe on the road, beginning at 7 p.m. CT with live video and live stats available at gomajors.com.
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