FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  The Monarchs improved to 4-1 in the USA South Athletic Conference and 6-7 overall after defeating visiting Brevard College, 67-63, at the Riddle Center Saturday evening.

Contrary to the narrow final margin, Methodist led for a vast majority of the game as there was only one lead change and three ties.

The Tornados led for all of 47 seconds in the game, with their last lead coming six minutes into the game -- and that advantage only lasted for 15 seconds.

Dante Burden made program history when he registered his eighth steal of the day with seven seconds left. The eight steals are the new program record, surpassing the five-way tie of seven steals in a game.

Up by four points, that strip salted the game away, preventing any Brevard heroics.

Led by Burden, Methodist was aggressive, early and often and that made all the difference. The Monarchs forced 25 turnovers, including 16 steals, while only turning the ball over 13 times themselves. They were also able to convert those turnovers into 21 points. That aggressiveness also helped in the transition game, where they outscored Brevard 26-10 in fastbreak points.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Methodist def. Brevard, 67-63
Records: Methodist 6-7 (4-1 USA South), Brevard 4-7 (1-3 USA South)
Location: Riddle Center; Fayetteville, N.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The drama was in the free throws today. With Methodist leading at 62-58, J'Quan Deal missed both his free throw shots. However, he was granted a reprieve as a free throw lane violation by multiple Brevard players gave Deal another chance. The third time was the charm as he extended the lead to five points.
• After Kaymon Mitchell made both of his free throws to return the lead to five points, the Tornados' Turner hit a contested three-pointer to make it 65-63 with 15 seconds left.
• With a two-point lead and 13 seconds remaining, Garren Dearman was slow to get up after he was intentionally fouled. In a clutch moment, Dearman waved off the trainer, assured the referees he was okay and despite a noticeable limp, he was able to knock down both of his free throws for the final score of 67-63.
• A stretch of perfect free-throw shooting late in the second half gave Brevard the opportunity it was looking for. Malon Herron-Cuthbertson went four-of-four from the line as the Tornados whittled the lead down to six. After Levi Lamb corralled a loose rebound, he found a streaking Herron-Cuthbertson for the corner three. Just like that, the score was 61-58 with two minutes remaining.
• After taking an 11-point lead early in the second half, Methodist was unable to break the game wide open. Midway through the half, Qadhafi Turner hit one of his two free throws to cut the score to 52-47. However, the Monarchs quickly extended the lead back to double-digits.
• Methodist was able to outscore Brevard in the first half 38-31, thanks in large part to Dearman scoring 13 points on a perfect 5-5 shooting from the field.

STAT FACTS

• The Monarchs are still undefeated when they outrebound their opponent. Today, they outrebounded Brevard, 36-34, including a whopping 18 offensive boards.
• Dearman had a team-high 17 points and three steals on 6-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from behind the arc. Mitchell had an efficient 13 points on six shots and Sam Mingledoff had a good all-around game with 12 points, seven boards, and four assists.
• Burden had a quiet night offensively, scoring only four points but he did have a game-high four assists to go with his record eight steals.
• Overall, the Monarchs struggled as a whole from the free throw line, going 13-of-23. They made them when it mattered most, going 6-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final two minutes.

TORNADOS SPIN

• Demari Hopper was a rebound away from a double-double as he had 12 points and nine boards.
• Levi Lamb had a game-high 18 points on 7-10 shooting, including 14 in the first half. He also added six rebounds. Turner was the other Brevard player to score in double-digits with 13 points. He was 4-of-9 from behind the arc, including three treys in the second half.

UP NEXT

• The Monarchs are playing a back-to-back, at home this time versus Piedmont College. A win Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Lions would push Methodist back to .500 with a resounding 5-1 conference record.
• Brevard is also playing a back-to-back as they will travel to play N.C. Wesleyan tomorrow at 1 p.m.