FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  It is two wins in two days for Methodist men's basketball as the Monarchs doused the high-flying offense of visiting LaGrange College, 77-66, in USA South Athletic Conference action Wednesday afternoon.

In a battle that was expected to be a high-scoring affair, (LaGrange entered the day second in the conference with 89 points per game) it was the Methodist defense that took center stage, holding the Panthers to a season-low 66 points. The Monarchs also did an outstanding job limiting the conference's leading scorer. Julian Cameron entered the contest averaging nearly 27 points per game. Against Methodist, Cameron was held to a season-low 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting.

For the Monarchs, it was Dante Burden that outplayed his Panther counterparts. Burden finished with a game-high 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting. He finished tied for the team-high with seven rebounds while his six assists and three steals represented another game-high.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Methodist def. LaGrange, 77-66
Records: Methodist 5-4 (2-1 USA South), LaGrange 2-6 (1-2)
Location: Riddle Center; Fayetteville, N.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• All five of the game's lead changes occurred in the first half. John Baker's three gave Methodist a 23-21 lead at the six-minute mark. Methodist never trailed after that point even though the Panthers did manage to hang around for majority of the game.
• With under seven minutes remaining in the second half, it was a one-point, 59-58 Methodist lead. The Monarchs went on an immediate 7-0 run to gain some much needed cushion.  That 7-0 sequence was part of a larger 15-1 run by Methodist that saw a one-point advantage blossom into a commanding 74-59 lead with just under a minute to play.
• Cameron did his best to his will his team to a victory, scoring 13 points in the second period and thrice cutting the deficit to one point midway through the half. However, his last-ditch efforts were topped by Calvin Manley and Kaymon Mitchell, who each scored 10 points in the final 20 minutes to keep Methodist on top.
• Each time Cameron made it a one-point game, Methodist had an answer. Timely buckets from Zaire Edwards, Garren Dearman, and Mitchell returned it to a three-point game each time.
• The first half was all Dante Burden, who might have needed to prove something in front of Cameron, an early conference player of the year frontrunner. Burden scored 15 of his team's 34 points in the first half, including the Monarchs' first eight points of the game.
• Baker's three-pointer to give Methodist its final lead was part of a 7-0 run that was bookended by treys from Baker and Burden. Burden's make from downtown increased the Monarchs' lead to 28-21.

STAT FACTS

• Mitchell finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists while Manley finished with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
• Kevin McLaughlin Jr. led the bench unit with 11 points, including a perfect two-of-two from deep and three-of-five from the field. His three steals was tied for a game-high.
• Dearman had a balanced diet of seven rebounds, six points, and three assists.
• In the first half, Cameron had three points on one-of-five shooting.
• LaGrange is probably lamenting all the points that were left at the charity stripe. The Panthers went 14-of-26 (54 percent) from the line, compared to 20-of-23 (87 percent) at the line for Methodist.

UP NEXT

• The Monarchs' next game is December 27 against Shenandoah University at 5 p.m. Methodist is participating in the Shenandoah Tournament that weekend.
• LaGrange does not return to the court until December 29 when they travel to Atlanta, Ga. to participate in the Emory Shootout against Guilford at 2 p.m.