ROCKY MOUNT, N.C.  Despite Dante Burden erupting for 32 points and Garren Dearman scoring 20, N.C. Wesleyan managed to pull away  for an 85-77 victory Tuesday evening in a USA South Athletic Conference men's basketball contest.

The discrepancy in fouls and free-throws fueled the top-ranked team in the East Division to the win. N.C. Wesleyan took 27 free-throw shots while the Monarchs visited the charity stripe just 10 times. The Battling Bishops made nearly every shot from the charity stripe count, going 25-of-27. That disparity helped offset the fact that the Monarchs outscored N.C. Wesleyan in both second chance points (15 to 7) and points in the paint (42 to 26). Free throws also nullified the detail that tonight was one of the cleanest games played by the Monarchs with them only committing eight turnovers, a season low for Methodist.

Burden and Dearman's combined 52 points are the most by a pair of Methodist teammates all season and it is just the second time that a pair of Monarchs topped 20 points in the same game this year.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: N.C. Wesleyan def. Methodist, 85-77
Records: Methodist 9-11 (7-5 USA South); N.C. Wesleyan 17-3 (10-2)
Location: Everett Gymnasium; Rocky Mount, N.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After trailing by 15 points with eight minutes remaining, the Monarchs responded with an immediate 9-2 run, punctuated by Sam Mingledoff's three to make it 59-67. After trading a few baskets with N.C. Wesleyan, Methodist went on another run, this time a 10-4 run to make it a four-point, 73-69 game with just a minute left to play.
• Burden almost willed the Monarchs to a victory in the second half, upping his game to an even higher level by scoring 21 points in the final frame on 10-of-13 shooting.
• N.C. Wesleyan extended the lead to 70-77 but Burden made the layup to cut the deficit to five. After, the Battling Bishops made both of their free throws following the intentional foul, Burden responded this time with a made three for a 75-79 score with 19 seconds left.
• The Battling Bishops were as clutch as they come at the free throw line. In the final minute of the game, N.C. Wesleyan went 12-of-13 from the stripe, preventing Methodist from completing the rally.
• The first half revolved around each team's ability to hit shots behind the arc. Both teams combined for 10-of-24 from the three-point line.  Braswell and Burden traded threes to begin the game and that set the tone of the first frame. Kevin McLaughlin, Jr. made two trey-balls but Braswell and McDowell were even more on fire from deep, making three long-range treys each to give N.C. Wesleyan a 45-35 entering halftime.     
• With the Battling Bishops holding a 31-27 advantage late in the first half, Josh Covington found Chris Braswell and Damon McDowell for back-to-back three-pointers, blossoming the lead to 37-27.
• Adjustments were made in the second half as Methodist shut out the Battling Bishops behind the arc, with N.C. Wesleyan going 0-for-eight.

STAT FACTS

• Burden's 32 points is the most a Monarch has scored this season. He was 15-of-21 overall from the field and he also had five boards.
• Dearman had six rebounds, four steals, and two assists to go with 20 points on eight-of-14 shooting.
• Sam Mingledoff had five points, five rebounds, and two assists and Kaymon Mitchell had four points, four rebounds, and two assists.

BATTLING BISHOPS' POINT OF VIEW

• Off the bench, McDowell led N.C. Wesleyan in scoring with 23 points on eight-of-14 shooting.
• Ricardo Bullock had 14 points, eight rebounds, and five blocks and Braswell had 14 points and seven boards.

UP NEXT

• Methodist is on the road again for their next game, this time traveling to play LaGrange on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
• N.C. Wesleyan faces off at home against Greensboro at 2 p.m. on Saturday.