CONWAY – Hendrix College senior Hank Aldous was named the Southern Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Year on Friday. Aldous also was selected to the All-SAA First Team and sophomore Preston Smith was named to the Second Team.

Aldous, a guard from Dallas, led the league in scoring with 16.8 points per game. He also was third with 6.8 rebounds per game, ninth with 66 assists and sixth with 20 blocks. He shot 45.3 percent (121-of-267) from the field and recorded 25 steals. Aldous was selected as an All-SAA Honorable Mention in 2015.

Aldous is the first conference player of the year in men’s basketball for Hendrix since Jason Rhodes was the 1995-96 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference top player.

Smith, a guard from McKinney, Texas, averaged 15.9 points per game with 47 assists, 80 rebounds, eight blocks and 25 steals. He ranked fourth in the nation with a 49.4 (78-of-158) three-point field goal percentage and was 32nd in three-pointers made. Smith led the SAA in three-point percentage, was third in scoring and 10th in free throw percentage (75.2 percent).

The Warriors, who are the fifth-seed in the SAA Tournament, will take on fourth-seeded Sewanee in the first round at 3 p.m. in Memphis, Tenn.

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MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – The Hendrix College men’s basketball team picked up their fourth consecutive win by defeating Berry College 63-54 in Southern Athletic Association action on the road Friday night.

The Warriors (8-8, 4-2) led 20-14 with 13:19 left in the first half, but the Vikings (5-12, 1-5) ended the period with a 20-6 run to take a 34-26 advantage into the break. Berry pushed their lead to 11 early in the second half, but Hendrix would outscore the hosts 37-20 in the period. The Orange & Black went on a 16-0 run over an eight-minute span to take control of the game. The Warriors maintained at least an eight-point lead in the final two minutes of the game.

Hendrix shot 39.1 percent (18-of-46) overall, 8-of-23 from three-point range and 19-of-31 at the line. They also recorded 39 rebounds, 13 assists, 20 turnovers, three blocks and 12 steals. Berry shot 33.9 percent (20-of-59) overall, 5-of-23 from outside and 9-of-19 at the line with 41 boards, 10 assists, 16 turnovers, four blocks and 13 steals.

Hendrix Notes
– Sophomore guard Preston Smith led the Warriors with 18 points, hitting four three-pointers.
– Senior guard Hank Aldous recorded 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
– Senior guard Travis Garrett had 10 points, five boards and three steals.
– Freshman guard Jacob Link came up with nine points, a season-best 11 rebounds, six assists, a block and four steals.
– Sophomore forward Bryce Batchelor registered six points and five rebounds off the bench.
– Senior center Gearen Littlefield pulled down five rebounds as well.

Berry Notes
– Tanner Spalding led the Vikings with 18 points to go with four rebounds.
– Nick Marder had five points, six rebounds and four steals.
– Alton McCloud recorded six points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
– Blake Jones added four points, six rebounds and four assists.

Up Next
Hendrix will look for their fifth straight win at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta on Sunday.

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