January 7, 2007

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Millsaps benefited from four different scorers in double figures and a season-high 18 points from junior Lorenzo Bailey on 7-of-11 shooting, as they cruised to a third-straight victory with an 84-67 conference win over Rhodes College at Mallory Gymnasium on Saturday.

Millsaps (7-5, 2-1 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) controlled the game in the first half and built its lead to as many as 18 before taking a comfortable 44-34 lead into intermission.

The Majors shot a solid 50 percent from the floor in the first half (5-of-10 from beyond the arc) and only committed five turnovers.

Bailey led the way with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting (3-for-3 from 3-point land), while Edrick Montgomery (10), Rodney Rogan (7), Allen Odum (6) and Deonte Oscar (5) all had solid first half performances.

The Majors, however survived a furious 19-5 run from Rhodes that put the Lynx on top 53-49 with 15:24 left in the game and calmly turned around and put together a 20-6 run of their own to put the game out of reach.

A jumper by Blake Wilson and back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers from juniors Joe Thompson and Justin Long closed the Millsaps gap to 49-47 only minutes into the second half, before a pair of Montgomery free throws and a Bailey 3-pointer put the Majors on top for good.

Although the Majors and Lynx were deadlocked at 29-29 on the boards, Millsaps dominated 38-22 on points in the paint and 12-4 on fast break points.

For the Lynx, Thompson led all scorers with 25 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while Cory Smith chipped in 14 on a pair of field goals and 8-of-9 shooting from beyond the stripe.

Millsaps was led by Rogan's 20 points and a game/season-high five steals, while Bailey/Montgomery added 18 apiece and Odum had 15.

Sophomore Chris Sanders also chipped in a game/career-high 12 boards and a field goal in his ninth start of the year, while Russell Booth, Chris Ingle and Cameron Varnado each got in the scorebooks.

Millsaps ends its 11-game road stretch on Monday, traveling to Holly Springs to face off with Rust College for a second time this season. Game time is slated for a 7 p.m. start and will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio 1240AM and online at www.espnradio1240.com.

The Majors will then return home this weekend for a two-game homestand, playing host to Oglethorpe on Jan. 12 and Sewanee on Jan. 14. Friday’s game tips off at 8 p.m. with Sunday’s game slated for a 1 p.m. start.