HARRISONBURG, Va. -- The Methodist men's basketball team fell to Bridgewater 75-66 on Saturday afternoon at Eastern Mennonite University.
 
The Monarchs (0-3) shot 50.0 percent (15-30) in the opening 20 minutes and held a 39-37 lead at the break, but struggled to generate offense in the second half, shooting just 36.7 percent (11-30) as the Eagles (1-1) outscored the Monarchs 38-27 over the final 20 minutes.
 
A three pointer by Blake Davis at the 12:09 mark of the first half gave MU its largest lead of the game, 11 points (19-8), as the Monarchs opened the game hitting seven of their first 14 shots from the floor. The Eagles answered with a 17-7 run over a nearly eight-minute stretch to pull within 26-25 by the 6:43 mark. Zach Jenerette answered with a three pointer for a four-point lead and Davion Ayabarreno followed with a jumper to make it 31-25 with 5:54 left in the first half. Methodist would eventually take a two-point lead at intermission.
 
The second half featured five lead changes and six ties as neither team was able to pull away.
 
Efe Balfour, who scored a game-high 24 points, converted a three-point play with 7:22 to play that turned a 55-53 deficit into a 56-55 lead that the Eagles would not relinquish. Balfour converted a layup following an MU turnover to make it 58-55, and Bryce Boggs added a layup for a 60-55 lead with 4:12 to play.
 
With under a minute to play, a Bryan Rouse three pointer pulled the Green and Gold to within three points (69-66), but Balfour answered with another layup and the Eagles made each of their final four free throws while keeping MU off the board for the duration.
 
Methodist actually outshot Bridgewater, .433-.403, but the Eagles got to the free-throw line 20 times and made 18 (.900), while the Monarchs were just 5 of 6 (.833). The Eagles held a 39-32 edge on the glass, and forced 17 turnovers while committing just nine.
 
Irving Aughburns and Ayabarreno each scored 15 points to lead the Monarchs. Ayabarreno added eight rebounds and was named to the all-tournament team following the game. Bryan Rouse scored 12 points on 4 of 6 shooting from long range.
 
Balfour shot 7 of 14 from the floor and 10 of 10 from the line for his game-high 24. He completed a double-double with 12 rebounds. Bryce Boggs added 21 points on 8 of 15 shooting, and Dennis Keonte notched 11 points and eight rebounds.
 
The Monarchs are back in action on Wednesday when they host Shenandoah at 2:00 pm.