FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The Methodist women's basketball team shot a season-high 58.3 percent from beyond the arc and Alexis Wallace led four players in double figures with 16 points as MU defeated Salem, 80-66, on Tuesday evening at the Riddle Center.
 
The Monarchs (9-4) drilled 7-of-12 attempts from three-point range, and shot 41.6 percent (32-77) overall in winning for the fourth time in five games. Salem falls to 3-13 with the loss.
 
The Spirits opened the scoring with a three pointer by Alexiahonna Bush less than 40 seconds into the contest before MU reeled off a 17-4 run to assume a 10-point lead (17-7) with just over two minutes in the period. Alexia Hines scored six points during the Monarchs' surge, and Ayanna Pegues chipped in five as MU built its lead.
 
The Spirits came storming back however, and used a 16-5 run to regain the lead, 23-22, by the 6:16 mark of the second quarter. Quntashea Lewis scored five straight points for Salem to close out the first quarter. Tamara Blanton's free throws pushed the Spirits in front (23-22) for their first lead since 3-2 in the first quarter.
 
Momentum swung back in MU's favor and the Green and Gold closed the first half with another huge run, outscoring Salem 17-6 to close out the half for a 39-29 lead at halftime. Monique Lofton knocked down a pair of treys, and Kaneya Chambers had one triple among her five points during the run.
 
Salem cut its deficit to as few as two points in the third quarter and entered the final stanza down just three, 49-46, before one final burst from the Monarchs put the game out of reach. Methodist opened the final 10 minutes with a massive 20-3 spurt in taking a 69-49 lead with 5:09 to play.
 
Hines and Wallace combined to score the first 13 points of the run, and Jalisia Campbell closed it out with three straight points as Salem was never able to recover from the surge.
 
Methodist held a slim 51-48 edge on the glass and forced 17 turnovers while committing a season-low 12. The Monarchs also had 14 assists as a team, led by four from Hines, and came up with 11 steals, including four from Campbell.
 
Wallace finished 5-of-10 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, and added 14 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Hines had 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go with seven boards and three steals. Ayanna Pegues chipped in 12 points, and Campbell totaled 10.
 
Lewis led all scorers with 18 points and added nine rebounds and four steals. Sabrina Shepherd totaled 17 points, and Bush finished with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. Mikayla Seivers added 10 points.
 
Methodist will now host Huntingdon on Saturday beginning at 2:00 pm.