DANVILLE, Va. -- The Methodist women's basketball team fell to Averett, 68-55, on Saturday afternoon in the Grant Center.
 
For the Monarchs (2-11, 0-2), Kaneya Chambers finished with a game-high 14 points with seven rebounds and three steals, while Jalisia Campbell, Sydney Bryan, Niki Mumphery and Breanna Evans all posted eight points. Campbell also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.
 
For the Cougars (10-4, 3-0), Frida Lundquist tallied 13 points and five rebounds, while Samm Chandler finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Alixis Roccia ended with a team-high nine rebounds and also posted seven points with three assists.
 
Averett opened with an 8-0 lead before MU made seven-consecutive free throws to trim the deficit. The Monarchs hit only two shots from the floor in the first quarter, but ended the first quarter trailing by just one (15-14). In the second quarter, the Cougars pulled out to a 24-18 lead, but a layup by Bryan closed the lead to four with 6:24 left in the period. Averett went into halftime with a nine-point lead, 35-26.
 
In the third quarter, Allison Dones started the half with a jumper before the Cougars opened up a 13-point lead after hitting five of their first eight shots. The Monarchs cut the deficit to seven (50-43) early in the fourth quarter after a three-point play by Mumphery and a free throw from Chambers, but could not get any closer as Averett went on a 12-3 run on its way to a 68-55 victory.
 
As a team, the Monarchs shot 26.2 percent (16-61) from the floor, while the Cougars hit on 36.1 percent (26-72) of their shots. MU connected on 21 of 32 (.656) free-throw attempts compared to just 12 of 24 (.500) for AU, but the Cougars held a 54-45 advantage in rebounds.
 
Methodist returns to action tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 15, as it travels to face Meredith with tip-off scheduled for 2 pm.