Fayetteville, N.C.  Methodist men's basketball went down to the wire with Division II Fayetteville State, but a made free throw with 3.4 seconds left sealed the win for the visiting Broncos, 72-68, over the Monarchs in a packed Riddle Center Saturday afternoon.

Playing crosstown rival Fayetteville State for the first time in 17 years, Methodist took a 31-26 lead into intermission over the unbeaten Broncos after trailing by 10 points earlier in the first half.

There were six lead changes and three tie scores in the game, but Fayetteville State was able to hold off the Monarchs in the final six minutes of the second half.

Head Coach David Smith had solid contributions from everywhere. Dante Burden's 18 points and six assists led the team, plus he had five rebounds and two blocks. Kaymon Mitchell added 17 points and six boards while Garren Dearman played like a man amongst boys with his first career double-double. Dearman had 13 points, 10 rebounds, and a game-high four blocks.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Fayetteville State def. Methodist, 72-68
Records: Methodist 3-3, Fayetteville State 8-0
Location: Riddle Center; Fayetteville, N.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• There is no quit in these Monarchs, it is not in their vocabulary. Twice in this game, Methodist found itself trailing by 10 points, including once in the first half and once in the second. Down 65-55 with under three minutes to play, the Monarchs ended the game on a 13-7 run, cutting the deficit to three points with under 10 seconds remaining following Dearman's clutch three-pointer. FSU made one-of-two free throws to ice the game.
• Midway through the first half, FSU was ahead 18-8 before a 16-2 run (11 consecutive points) by Methodist gave the Monarchs the lead. Calvin Manley connected from deep to give Methodist a two-point, 22-20 advantage before Dearman punctuated the run with a block and a steal on the same possession, followed by a vicious fastbreak dunk.
• Mark Burton single-handedly won the game for the Broncos, he had 24 points in the second half on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and six-of-nine from deep. That performance came after a two-point first half on one-of-five shooting.
• Burton scored 16 points in the first 10 minute span of the final half, helping turn a five-point FSU deficit into a six-point, 54-48 FSU lead. Darian Dixon's seven points and Burton were the only two Broncos to score in that run.
• After Mitchell made both ends of his one-and-one for Methodist, the Monarchs were only down 54-53 with under six minutes left. FSU responded with a game-altering 11-2 run that featured three makes from behind the arc to take the 65-55 lead.

STAT FACTS

• Kevin McLaughlin Jr. added seven points and four assists of the bench.
• Despite the noticeable height advantage, the Broncos owned, Methodist had a 42-30 advantage in points in the paint, which featured a lot of acrobatic finishes from Burden and Dearman. That difference was even more pronounced in the second half, with the Monarchs scoring 24 points in the paint to the Broncos' 14. The Monarchs' seven blocks outpaced FSU's five while Methodist was able to make the rebounding difference negligible with FSU out rebounding the Monarchs, 40-37.
• The 6-foot, 1-inch Dearman had a game-high four offensive rebounds and four blocks despite the presence of FSU's starters 6-10 Will Brown and 67 Dixon.
• The Monarchs' four minute, 11-0 run was the best scoring run of the day as FSU was only able to muster an 8-0 run.

UP NEXT
It's a week break and then the start of conference play for Methodist as the Monarchs travel to Raleigh, N.C., to play USA South Athletic Conference foe William Peace December 14 at 4 p.m.