FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  Tyzarea Alexander and Logan Lee combined for 39 points in Methodist's 69-67 USA South Athletic Conference victory over visiting N.C. Wesleyan Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Monarchs snapped a five-game losing streak and handed the Battling Bishops only their second loss in the last seven games.

It was a back-and-forth affair that saw three ties and nine lead changes, including the five times the lead changed hands in the second half. The final exchange occurred with less than five minutes remaining in the game when Lee found Kodi Centry in the paint for a layup and a 60-59 advantage.

At various points, each team had a seemingly solid hold of the lead as the Battling Bishops led by as much as seven points in the first half and the Monarchs led by as many as 12 in the third quarter. N.C. Wesleyan spent slightly more time being ahead, leading for 20 minutes compared to the Monarchs' leading for 18 minutes.

Alexander became the first Monarch to score at least 20 points this season. The 39 by Alexander and Lee are the most a pair of Methodist teammates have scored in the same game since Kayla Goldsmith and Kadie Snipes united for 42 points against William Peace last season.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Methodist def. N.C. Wesleyan
Records: Methodist 4-14 (2-8 USA South), N.C. Wesleyan 8-11 (6-4)
Location: Riddle Center; Fayetteville, N.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• A mini 6-0 run for the Battling Bishops tied the game at 56 with just under six minutes left. Kayla Johnson's steal and the layup gave N.C. Wesleyan the lead at 59-58. That was the Battling Bishops' first lead since the score was 36-35.
• The Monarchs responded to the 6-0 N.C. Wesleyan run with an immediate 7-0 Methodist run to go up 65-59. In that time frame, the Monarchs went five-of-six from the charity stripe and the Battling Bishops shot 0-5 from the field and 0-2 from the line.
• Johnson made a three as time expired but before that, N.C. Wesleyan had struggled from behind the arc, going three-of-18 for 17 percent. Johnson lost her earlier chances for heroics as she missed treyballs with 17 seconds remaining and nine seconds remaining after Cydney Nichols snagged the offensive rebound.
• With the score tied at 37 in the third quarter, the Monarchs went on a 13-1 run, thanks to near-perfect free-throw shooting. Methodist shot 11 of 13 from charity stripe during the run and it was capped off by Alexander making three-of-four free throws after N.C. Wesleyan's head coach was assessed two technical fouls and ejected.
• The Battling Bishops closed out the third quarter on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to five, a 50-45 score entering the final frame.
• Free-throw shooting made all the difference in the Methodist win. The Monarchs shot 83 percent from the line, going 20-of-24. Meanwhile, N.C. Wesleyan shot 12-of-22 from the line, including going five-of-10 in the fourth quarter.
• The Monarchs were able to overcome the fact that N.C. Wesleyan outscored Methodist, 24-6 on the fast break and 24-13 in points off turnovers.
• The Monarchs recovered from their 14-7 deficit by outscoring their opponent 24-18 in the second quarter, going 11-of-22 from the field with 20 points in the paint.

STAT FACTS

• Alexander had 20 points on 12 shots and five boards. Lee had 19 points, three assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
• Chandler True had a good all-around game with a statline of eight points, eight rebounds, and four assists. She led the Monarchs in the latter two categories.
• Kodi Centry led the reserves with seven points and three boards in nine minutes of gametime.
• Kayla Goldsmith now has eight blocks in the last two games, after earning three in this game. She added seven rebounds and six points as well.
• This was the Monarchs' second-best free-throw shooting performance this season (minimum 20 attempts), shooting 83.3 percent.
• Methodist had 49 rebounds in this game, a rebound shy of tying its season-high. The Monarchs outrebounded N.C. Wesleyan 49-44. Methodist is 3-2 when it outrebounds their opponent.

BATTLING BISHOPS LOOK

• Kayla Johnson had a game-high 22 points on 15 shots.
• Weslie Young had a game-high 12 rebounds with eight points and Daijah Davis had a game-high six assists.

UP NEXT

• Methodist is back at home in the Riddle Center Wednesday to play Pfeiffer University at 7:30 p.m.
• N.C. Wesleyan returns home to play Greensboro College Wednesday at 7 p.m.