JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps women's basketball team claimed at least a share of the SAA regular season title by downing Rhodes, 69-66 inside the Hangar Dome on Friday.
Coupled with a Centre (18-5, 9-3 SAA) defeat and Millsaps (20-4, 11-2 SAA) triumph, the Majors secured at least a share of the conference title thanks to junior Haley Franklin's 23 points and sophomore Elyse Warren's double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds).
It is the program's sixth SAA regular season title since 2013 and seventh overall conference regular season crown.
The Majors surpassed Rhodes (13-9, 8-4 SAA) with a 22-5 advantage in points-off turnovers, while dominating the court with a 10-3 fast break and 25-14 bench point disparity.
The Lynx led 30-24 inside the paint, but were forced into allowing 20 turnovers.
Franklin led the Majors in scoring with 23 points while adding six rebounds, three assists and two steals. She also netted 9-of-11 shots from the free-throw line.
Warren had a strong performance with another double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, while chipping in three steals and a block.
Senior Helena Roe tallied 11 points, two rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal on defense.
Freshman Garin Freeman finished the game with 10 points, two assists, while grabbing three steals and one block defensively.
Midway through the first quarter a 3-pointer would give the Lynx a 11-7 advantage in the even contest that featured five ties and six lead changes.
Freeman would make a jumper to cut the deficit down to 17-14 to end the first quarter. The freshman continued with a another successful jumper to give the Majors a 21-19 lead three minutes into the second. Classmate Tia Anderson added to the advantage with a trey before Rhodes battled back to tie the game at 26-26.
Roe would knock down a 3-pointer of her own before Franklin tallied back-to-back baskets to put Millsaps ahead, 33-26 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Majors would continue to grow their advantage as a junior Whitney Novak jumper and Franklin driving layup would soon fire the Majors up, 37-27.
Rhodes proved resilient as they provided a 15-4 run to recapture the lead, 42-41 with 3:48 left in the quarter.
A critical Warren and-one conversion and pair of Franklin and Freeman successful free throws pushed the Majors back ahead, 49-44 to end the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was a balanced effort from both teams. A junior Taylor Frank layup opened the final frame, but a 3-pointer by Rhodes would later cut the lead down to 52-50.
The tug of war saw the Majors gain a 59-52 margin before cut the contest to one point at 63-62 with 3:12 on the clock.
With the game tied at 65-65, Novak sank a crucial layup as she was fouled in the paint with 53 seconds to play.
The defenses locked down as junior Emily Adams provided the next point with a free throw, giving Millsaps a 68-65 advantage with nine seconds left.
Rhodes netted a free throw of their own with five seconds remaining after an intentional foul. After a Lynx missed free throw attempt, Novak grabbed the rebound and made a final free throw of her own to help seal the 69-66 triumph.
The Majors will be back in action on Sunday as they face against Hendrix for Senior Day, beginning at 1 p.m.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps women's basketball program follow the Majors on Twitter and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
