FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The Methodist men's basketball team shot 54.5 percent from the floor and improved to 6-7 overall on Wednesday evening, cruising past visiting St. Andrews, 83-68 at the March F. Riddle Center.
 
MU hit on 30-of-55 shot attempts, including 16-of-29 (.551) in the second half. The Monarchs never trailed in the contest, and led by as many as 24 points after a T.J. Gill free throw with five minutes left. Mike Major and Desmond Parker led the Green and Gold with 19 points apiece, with Major adding five rebounds and three assists, and Parker grabbing seven boards and three steals. Tabias Hilliard also put up double figures, scoring 17 points and recorded a team-high five assists.
 
The opening 14 minutes of the game was all Methodist as the hosts pulled out to an 11-2 lead on a Jackson Whitley jumper with 16:15 on the clock. Parker got things started for the Monarchs with a jumper, followed by a triple from Gill as the Monarchs went up 5-0 in the first two minutes.
 
Major scored five straight before a pair of converted free throws by Hilliard at the 11:48 mark, followed by a three-point play by Joey Horne 20 seconds later, giving Methodist a comfortable 26-9 advantage.
 
A jumper by Colton Foushee at the 6:46 capped a 10-2 run by the Knights and put the scoreboard at 28-19, bringing the deficit to just nine points, the closest the Knights would get for the remainder of the game.
 
A pair of free throws by Parker at the 1:53 mark gave the Monarchs a 17 point lead (42-25) as MU led 43-29 at the half.
 
In the second half, the Green and Gold opened with a 13-2 run that gave MU a 56-34 lead with 13:07 left to play. The Knights fought back, scoring four straight, before a Blake Davis steal fed to Gill for a dunk extended the Monarch's advantage to 22 points (60-38).
 
Methodist continued to lead by at least 20 until a dunk by Daniel Humphrey and a triple by Titus Gary in the last 30 seconds of the game brought the Knights' deficit to 15 points (83-68) and the end of the contest.
 
As a team, St. Andrews shot 50.0 percent from the field, including 7-of-13 from beyond the arc, but the Monarchs outrebounded the Knights 36-23, including 12-6 on the offensive glass, and got to the line 27 times while St. Andrews attempted only 16 free throws.
 
Gill added seven points and four boards, while Brandon Monk had five points and four assists. Whitley put up six points and two blocked shots.
 
For St. Andrews, Foushee had 16 points, and Scott and Jeff Gulley had 12 and 11, respectively. Gulley also pulled down a team-best seven rebounds, and Gary registered a team-best four assists.
 
Methodist will travel to Piedmont on Sunday for a 1:00 contest against the Lions.
 
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