CONWAY, Ark. - The Vikings were in action on the road against Hendrix, where they controlled the pace of the game and earned a 78-56 victory.
It was another classic performance from senior Braxton Benham, as he rocked and rolled for 29 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. Senior Jacob Morgan added 12 points, 1 assist, and 3 rebounds. Rising freshman Nile King performed well offensively and defensively, as he contributed 10 points and 6 rebounds.
The first bucket of the game came from a usual contributor, as Braxton pulled up over a defender and drained a mid-range jumper to give Berry a 2-0 lead. The fast-paced action continued when Parker Godwin dashed through the lane and finished a nice finger roll to give Berry a 5-2 lead with just over 18 minutes to play in the first half. A few plays later, Benham found Drew Winegarden, who drained a three-pointer to push the Viking lead back to 3, with 17:37 left in the half. After Hendrix found a rhythm and jumped out to a 14-8 lead, the Vikings responded with a nifty Benham layup with 13:50 to play. On the ensuing Viking possession, freshman Nile King spun through two defenders and finished a beautiful layup to cut the Hendrix lead to just two.
Midway through the half, the Warriors enjoyed a five-point lead, but Cameron Pope was having none of it as he drove baseline and adjusted in the air to finish a layup and drew contact for an and-one, cutting the Hendrix lead to three. A few plays later, Jacob Morgan got into the chest of a Hendrix defender and finished a hook shot to cut the Hendrix lead to one. On the next Viking possession, Canon Armstead diced his way through the lane and finished a layup that put Berry on top, 20-19 with 8:48 to play.
After another Viking basket, Benham dashed into a passing lane and took it the other way for an easy layup that extended the Berry lead to five. Just moments later, Parker Godwin would lace a three-pointer that gave the Vikings a 27-19 lead with 7:41 to play in the first half. The relentless crusade from the Vikings continued as they opened up a lighting-quick 20-0 run, leaving them with a 34-19 lead with 5 minutes to play in the first half. Freshman Evan Montgomery got in on the action late in the half when he finished a put-back to extend the Viking lead to their largest of the game at 17 points. Despite a late answer from Hendrix, Berry still enjoyed a 40-26 lead at the halftime break.
The second half started in the same way as the first half did for the Vikings as Benham got on the board yet again with an athletic layup, maintaining a 42-28 lead. A few possessions later, the senior captain came up big again as he skyed through the air for another tough layup, preserving a 44-32 lead for the Vikings with just over 16 minutes left to play. Later in the half, two freshmen got involved offensively, as Montgomery found a cutting Nile King, who finished a layup that kept the Viking lead at 14 with about 14 minutes left to play. Things picked up again when Braxton went coast to coast and performed a perfect euro-step to free himself up for an easy layup that pushed the Viking lead to 53-37 with 13 minutes to play.
An 8-2 run brought Hendrix within ten points with 9 minutes left to play. Down the stretch, the two teams traded baskets, which played in Berry's favor. With four and a half minutes left, the Berry lead ballooned to 15 points, courtesy of two free throws from Benham. The Vikings controlled the pace and did not allow the Warriors to get within single digits in the final minutes, propelling them to a 78-56 victory.
Men's Basketball will be in action again on January 26 at Rhodes College at 4 PM ET.
