Men's Basketball | 1/20/2013 6:14:00 PM

Box Score LAGRANGE, Ga. -- Tabias Hilliard scored a career-high 17 points, including eight of the Monarchs final 11, as the Methodist men's basketball team held off LaGrange, 72-68, on Sunday afternoon.
 
Hilliard, who scored 13 of his 17 points after halftime, hit on 7-of-9 shots from the floor, including a layup and a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds as the Monarchs won for the fourth consecutive time in improving to 7-8 on the season and 4-2 in the USA South. The four-game win streak is the longest for MU since it also won four in a row from Jan. 28-Feb. 6, 2008. LaGrange fell to 7-8 overall and just 1-6 in the USA South.
 
After the Panthers took a two-point lead into halftime (34-32), the second half featured seven lead changes and four ties as neither team could gain any separation. After Keemon Ingram made a three that gave MU a 59-57 lead with 6:10 to play, LC's Jerod Howard answered with a triple of his own to put LaGrange back up 60-59 at the 5:48 mark. On the Monarch's ensuing possession, Christian McRae made good on a jumper that gave MU a 61-60 lead that it would give back the rest of the way.
 
A pair of Hilliard layups sandwiched around a triple from Johnel Jones gave the Monarchs their largest lead of the game, eight points (68-60), with 3:21 on the clock.  A pair of Denzel Robinson layups pulled the Panthers to within four points with just over a minute to play, but Hilliard's layup with 25 seconds to go put the Monarchs back up six (70-64). Mark Wagner hit a three and Patrick Dugger added a free throw that inched LC to within two points (70-68) with nine seconds on the clock, but Hilliard knocked down a pair of charity tosses with three seconds to go to ice the contest.
 
In the first half, the Monarchs eased out to an early 12-6 lead following a layup from Bryan Hockaday at the 16:13 mark. However, the Panthers used a 7-0 run to take a 13-12 lead on a bucket by Dustin Baxter by the 11:51 mark. Methodist then held a slim 27-24 lead after a McCrae three with 4:26 left in the opening stanza before the Panthers closed the half outscoring the Monarchs, 10-5, capped by a Dugger layup with seven seconds left  that gave them a 34-32 lead at the half.
 
For the game, the Monarchs shot 43.5 percent from the field (30-69), while limiting LaGrange to just 33.8 percent shooting (24-71). The two teams were even on the backboards at 44 apiece and MU turned the ball over 18 times to the Panthers' 13.
 
In addition to Hilliard's 17 points, Ingram added 14 on 4-of-5 shooting from distance, and McRae chipped in 10 off the bench. Hilliard also added five rebounds and four steals. Jones grabbed a team-best seven rebounds and Hockaday had five points, six boards, three assists and three blocks.
 
The Panthers were led by Dugger, who scored 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Robinson added 11 points, but shot just 4-of-14. He also came away with five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Mike White also scored 11 points.
 
The Monarchs return to the court on Wednesday when they travel to N.C. Wesleyan for a 7:00 pm contest.