Women's Basketball | 2/22/2013 4:18:00 PM

Box Score FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The Methodist women's basketball team fell, 68-63, to N.C. Wesleyan on Friday afternoon in the quarterfinal round of the USA South Basketball Tournament at Crown Center Arena.
 
The fourth-seeded Battling Bishops (13-13) used an 11-2 scoring run late in the first half en route to opening up a 10-point lead at the break and then managed to hold off a late rally from the fifth-seeded Monarchs (16-10).
 
The contest was a back-and-forth affair in the early going with neither team leading by more than four points early on. After Emily Huneycutt drilled a three pointer with 7:05 to give the lead back to Methodist (18-17), NCWC reeled off an 11-2 scoring run to take a 28-20 lead on Courtney Small's triple with 3:55 to play. Chandler Christensen answered with a bucket on the Monarch's next trip down court to make it 28-22 in favor of NCWC, and the Battling Bishops quickly pushed out to a 10-point advantage (35-25) on another three, this one by Leann Breeden with 1:04 left in the half. A late jumper by Samantha Urquhart allowed the Bishops to keep that 10-point cushion (38-28) heading into the break.
 
In the second half, N.C. Wesleyan managed to build its lead to as many as 14 points on two occasions, the last coming when Tiffany Bell split a pair of free throws at the 13:00 mark for a 53-39 lead. By the 7:18 mark, the Monarchs had trimmed their deficit to just six points (55-49) after a 10-2 scoring run. During the run, MU held NCWC to just 1-of-11 shooting with three turnovers as it inched back into the contest.
 
With 2:18 to play, T.T. Taylor drilled a three pointer that pulled the Monarchs to within three points (61-58). However, Shanice Goree answered with a jumper on NCWC's next possession, and after an MU turnover, Urquhart scored to put NCWC back up seven points (65-58) with 1:21 to play.
 
The Monarchs had one last push in them and Taylor's three with 14 second to play cut Methodist's deficit to just four points, but Goree made 1-of-2 free throws and a three from Courtney Woods was off the mark and fell into the hands to Urquhart, who dribbled out the clock.
 
As a team, Methodist shot 34.2 percent (25-73) from the field and N.C. Wesleyan made good on just 33.3 percent (24-72) of its shot attempts. MU also made just 9-of-17 free throws, while the Bishops hit on 16-of-26 free-throw attempts. NCWC held a slight edge on the glass, 56-51 and committed 11 turnovers to MU's 13.
 
Taylor led the Monarchs with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds and Christina Schrader added 15 points and eight boards. Iesha Hayes chipped in eight points and seven rebounds and Brianna Robinson totaled seven points and seven boards.
 
Urquhart led all scorers with 20 points and also grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds. Bell and Goree each scored 12 points for N.C. Wesleyan and Breeden added 10 points off the bench, making all four of her field goal attempts.
 
N.C. Wesleyan will now advance to take on top-seeded Ferrum, which defeated Averett, 74-59, in the day's first quarterfinal round.