FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- All five starters scored in double figures and the Methodist men's basketball team moved to 7-2 on the season with a 99-79 win over Greensboro on Wednesday evening at the Riddle Center.
 
The Monarchs shot 52.8 percent (38-72) from the floor, despite a 1 for 13 mark from long range, and had 15 assists to just 11 turnovers in its third straight win. The win put MU at 2-0 in league play while Greensboro fell to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in the USA South.
 
Bryan Rouse led all scorers with 28 points and added seven rebounds, five assists and four steals to lead the Green and Gold. Davion Ayabarreno scored 21 with nine boards, Troynell Reese added 12 points and eight rebounds, and Rae Hall had 11 points. Jackson Whitley, limited to just 21 minutes, contributed a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds with three blocked shots.
 
A sluggish start by MU saw Greensboro take an 8-4 lead in the early going before a 14-3 run by the Monarchs put the hosts up 22-11 with just under 10 minutes left in the first half. The Monarchs knocked down 9 of 12 shots from the field during the run and got contributions from five different players, while limiting the Pride to just 1 of 12 shooting over that span.
 
Greensboro managed to cut its deficit to five points (33-28) on a Joseph Gatling three pointer with under four minutes to play in the opening half, and a Gatling three to close out the period gave MU a 44-36 lead at intermission.
 
That eight-point lead (49-41) still stood at the 17:37 mark of the second period before the Monarchs reeled off a 15-3 burst to surge ahead 64-44 with 13:24 on the clock. Ayabarreno keyed the run with nine points, including a pair of dunks in transition as Greensboro turned the ball over four times and shot 1 for 6.
 
The Pride managed to cut MU's lead to 11 on a pair of occasions late in the contest, but would come no closer.
 
The hard-fought game came to a head in the closing moments as Gatling was issued a Flagrant 2 foul when he committed a hard foul on Ayabarreno with 10.4 seconds to play and officials had to separate the players on the court.
 
In addition to its hot shooting, the Monarchs forced 17 turnovers and held a 43-38 edge on the glass.
 
Gatling led the Pride with 21 points, including 4 of 9 shooting from long range, and Darus Maddox added 18 points and seven rebounds. Cornelius Johnson chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds off the bench. As a team, the Pride shot 43.5 percent (30-69) from the floor but 57.1 percent (12-21) from the charity stripe.
 
Methodist will now break for the Holidays before returning to action on Jan. 3 at N.C. Wesleyan at 7:30 pm.