RALEIGH, N.C. – Despite five players registering double-digit scoring, the Methodist men's basketball team was defeated by William Peace, 95-73, in the Hermann Athletic Center on Wednesday night.
 
Davion Ayabarreno finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds to record a double-double, while Blake Davis and Rae Hall both finished with 13 points, while Hall connected on 3 of 7 from long range. Davis also tallied six rebounds and three assists. Also, Jackson Whitley finished with 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting and pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds.
 
For the Pacers (12-9, 5-5), Jay Hicks led the way with 16 points on 7 of 13 shooting from the field, while Chris Thomas ended the night with 13 points and nine rebounds. Jalen Vince finished with 12 points, six rebounds and a game-high seven assists.
 
The Monarchs (14-9, 8-4) opened the contest with an 11-4 run over the first six minutes of play. During the stretch, the Pacers were held to just 1 of 8 shooting from the floor. After each side exchanged baskets, MU held an eight-point advantage (15-7) after a layup by Irving Aughburns. WPU worked the deficit down to one point (17-16) after scoring seven-straight points. A layup from Davis opened up another six point lead for the Monarchs before closing the half with a 36-32 lead after a three-pointer from Hall.
 
William Peace took its first lead of the game nearly four minutes into the second half after a jumper from John Burwell but it up by two points, 41-39. After a score by Ayabarreno, the Pacers mounted a 12-2 run over just two minutes to open up a 10-point lead, 53-43. The Monarchs were unable to come within seven points for the rest of the game as the Pacers led by as many as 28 before notching a 95-73 victory.
 
MU shot 36.8 percent (25-68) from the floor to compare to WPU hitting on 48.1 percent (37-77) from the field. The Pacers shot 56.8 percent (25-44) in the second half and held a 49-41 edge in rebounding in the game.
 
Additionally for the Monarchs, Jabari Brown notched a season-high 12 points on 4 of 7 shooting from the field in 12 minutes off the bench.
 
Methodist returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 11, as it travels to face Piedmont at 2 pm.
 
 
 
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