San Antonio, TEXAS – The Trinity men's basketball team (16-4, 8-1 SAA) will face Rhodes College (16-3, 7-1 SAA) and Millsaps College (11-8, 2-6 SAA) at home this weekend, looking to avenge their only conference loss this season, which came at the hands of the Lynx on Jan. 16. Having played one more in-conference game, the Tigers currently sit atop the SAA standings despite the head-to-head loss, but another defeat to Rhodes would see the Lynx take that No. 1 spot. Both teams are currently receiving votes nationally.
 
Last Time Out
 
The Tigers lengthened their win streak to five games this past weekend, handily defeating the University of the South of Sewanee and Centre College. In Sunday's outing, a 103-88 rout of Centre, Trinity couldn't miss from the floor, hitting 61% of their field goals, 50% of their three-pointers and 87% of their free throws. They've been able to score at will as of late, tallying 96 or more points in each of their last four outings. 
 
Will Bronson has been a key part of their attack, averaging 19.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks over that period, while shooting an outlandish 77% from the field. Jackson Lawson has also been huge over that stretch, averaging 20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, while making 62% of his shots from the field and 40% of his three-pointers.
 
SAA Men's Athlete of the Week - Will Bronson
 
For the second straight week, and the third time this season, Bronson has been named the SAA Men's Athlete of the Week for another string of dominant performances down low.
 
From the SAA Press Release:
 
Bronson led the Trinity men's basketball team to an SAA road weekend sweep, defeating both Sewanee and Centre to remain atop the SAA standings. Bronson opened the weekend with a dominating double-double with 22 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, hitting 9-of-12 from the floor. In Sunday's win over Centre, he connected on 7-of-7 from the field on his way to 18 points, adding six boards and three assists. 
 
Preview - Rhodes and Millsaps
 
On the Rhodes Lynx: After opening conference play with a disappointing loss at the hands of Millsaps, Rhodes has been on a tear, winning their last seven. They're a solid team on both sides of the ball, averaging 45% from the field and 37% from three, while forcing 14.1 turnovers on 8.6 steals per game. The Lynx are incredibly well-matched with the Tigers, as was on display in their 79-73 win on Jan. 16, where both teams shot 42% from the field and the rebounding edge was just four, in favor of Trinity. The difference came from beyond the arc, where Rhodes made 45% of their shots, while the Tigers hit just 22% of theirs. Field goal percentage has been a big marker of success for the Lynx, having been outshot by a margin of 10% or more in all three of their losses.
Rhodes is led by senior forward Jackson Huxtable, who averages 16.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals on 44% shooting from the field. He has had some turnover troubles, however, and gave the ball up 5 times in his last meeting with Trinity. Junior guard Trevor Lombard is averaging 11.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals on 40% shooting. Sophomore guard Sam Maddox averages 10.8 points and 2.7 rebounds on 43% shooting. Do-it-all junior forward Shawn Jones Jr., who had a double-double against the Tigers, is averaging 10.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 50% shooting.
 
On the Millsaps Majors: The Majors have lost their last four and sit second to last in the SAA standings, currently on a skid characterized by an inability to cash in from the field. They're shooting just 37% over the last four games, and have shot over 30% from three just once in that period. They have held their own against top-ranked teams in the SAA however, boasting a double-digit win against Rhodes and a four-point loss against Trinity, although a 29 point loss to bottom-ranked Centre seems a head scratcher. A strong rebounding team that very rarely falls victim to large gaps in the turnover battle, this weekend's result will likely stem from which Millsaps team decides to show up from a shotmaking perspective: the one that outshot Rhodes by a margin of 10% or the one that couldn't buy a bucket against Oglethorpe.
 
The Majors are led by junior guard Davion James, who averages 13.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.6 steals per game on 40% shooting. Junior center Jaxon Toney commands the paint for Millsaps, averaging 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game on 54% shooting. The two players, it should be noted, combined for just 15 points and 7 turnovers on 33% shooting last time against the Tigers. The two who stepped up in their place were senior guard Caleb Kent, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds on the night, and junior guard Cameron Lumar, who also had 15 points and added 4 steals to his tally,
 
Looking Ahead
 
The Tigers will head back on the road to face Oglethorpe University (6-13, 3-5 SAA) and Berry College (8-11, 4-4 SAA) on Feb. 13 and 15.