ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- Behind a trio of starters scoring at least 20 points, the Methodist men's basketball team used a second-half rally to earn a 98-91 overtime victory against N.C. Wesleyan in Everett Gym on Wednesday afternoon.
 
­­­­Davion Ayabarreno and Jackson Whitley each totaled 22 points, while Bryan Rouse finished with 21 points. It is the third time this year the three have each recorded at least 20 points in a game. Ayabarreno and Whitley each posted nine rebounds, while Rae Hall finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
 
The Monarchs (8-2, 3-0 USA South) marched back in the second half after going into halftime trailing 39-26. MU trimmed the lead to eight points (44-36) with 17:01 remaining in regulation on a jumper by Hall before the Bishops (4-6, 2-2) worked the lead to 71-56 at the 8:25 mark. The Green and Gold went on a 17-7 run to cut the lead to just three points (78-75) with 2:09 left in the second half.
 
After a pair of free throws from Chris Braswell to give NCWC a five-point advantage, Whitley scored with 1:30 left as part of a 20-point effort in the second half before Troynell Reese drained a pair of free thros to put the Monarchs within one point (80-79) at the 1:20 mark. The Bishops moved the lead to two points (84-82) with just 15 seconds remaining. After a blocked shot by Braswell, the Monarchs retained possession and called a timeout before setting up a game-tying layup by Hall with just three seconds left on the clock to force overtime.
 
In the overtime period, the Monarchs were a perfect 8 of 8 from the free throw line, including Hall who was 4 of 4 from the charity stripe, as they outscored the Bishops 14-7 to escape with a victory.  Rouse opened the period with a pair of tosses from the line, which gave MU its first lead of the game since the 19:50 mark of the first half. NCWC took a lead with 2:05 remaining on a three-pointer by AJ Frye before a layup from Reese gave the Monarchs the lead for good at the 1:39 mark as MU scored the final eight points of the contest.
 
The Bishops opened the game with a 9-2 lead at the 16:45 mark after MU shot 2 of 8 from the floor in the first five minutes. A three-pointer by Ayabarreno cut the lead to five (18-13) with 10:32 remaining before the Bishops embarked on a 13-2 run to take a 35-19 lead at the 3:01 mark and eventually led by 13 (39-26) at the break.
 
MU shot 51.4 percent (37-72) in the game, while the Bishops finished with a .474 clip (36-78) from the floor. The Monarchs made 19 of 22 (86.4 percent) from the free throw line and outrebounded NCWC 43-39 in the win.
 
Additionally, Reese finished with 10 points, five rebounds, two steals and a block as all five starters scored in double digits. 
 
For the Bishops, A.J. Frye shot 13 of 19 from the field to finish with a game-high 26 points, to go along with 12 rebounds. Adrian Moore tallied 15 points with five boards, three assists and three steals off the bench.
 
Methodist returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 6, as it returns home to face Averett in the Riddle Center with tip off scheduled for 2 pm.
 
 
 
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