Skip To Main Content

Methodist University Athletics

The Official Athletics Site of The Methodist University monarchs Methodist University monarchs
MBK at Covenant USAS semis Burden
61
Winner Methodist MUM 15-12
56
Covenant CCM 18-9
Winner
Methodist MUM
15-12
61
Final
56
Covenant CCM
18-9
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Methodist MUM 33 28 61
Covenant CCM 31 25 56

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Monarchs roll into USA South championship game

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga.  Methodist pushed its way into the USA South Athletic Conference championship game for the second time in three seasons with Friday evening's 61-56 semifinal victory over host Covenant College.

The Monarchs picked up a combined 33 points from Dante Burden and Kaymon Mitchell while holding the Scots 20 points below their season scoring average. Covenant scoring leader Will Crumly -- who averages 22 points per game, and knocked down 29 in a regular-season victory over Methodist in January -- fouled out of Friday's contest with just nine points

Turnovers played quite a role in the contest as Methodist forced 25 from the Scots and finished with a tremendous 27-3 edge in points off of turnovers during the victory.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Methodist def. Covenant, 61-56
Records: Methodist 15-12, Covenant 18-9
Event: Semifinal, USA South 2019 Men's Basketball Tournament
Location: Barnes PE Center; Lookout Mountain, Ga.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Burden converted a layup and one at the 8:44 mark of the first half to lift Methodist into a lead, 17-15, it would never lose.
  • The Monarchs grew that advantage to as many as 10 late in the opening half but Covenant, the USA South West Division champions and top remaining seed in the tournament, clawed back from that deficit to trail by just two, 33-31, at the halftime break.
  • Methodist's big post-recess push came at 39-35 when that four-point cushion ballooned to 13 at 50-37. During that 11-2 run the Monarchs picked up buckets from Malik Manley and J'Quan Deal, a combined 4-of-4 free throws from Mitchell and Garren Dearman, and an exclamation point 3-pointer from Sam Mingledoff.
  • An 11-point lead, 55-44, needed to withstand one final push by the Scots who pulled within three, 55-52, with 85 seconds remaining. But a pair of Mingledoff free throws, Kevin McLaughlin Jr. free throws and 1-of-2 from the free stripe by Mingledoff and Burden -- his only miss during an 8-for-9 night from the free-throw line -- cooled the Covenant rally.
  • Prior to Burden's old-fashioned three-point play that provided the final lead change of the contest, there were just three lead changes. Burden and Chris Pernell hit 3s for Methodist during those early exchanges, while Bailey Spragg hit one of his own to give Covenant it's first lead of the night, at 7-6.

BOX PACK
  • Burden led all scorers with 17 points, including his near-perfect night from the foul line.
  • Mitchell's eight rebounds to lead Methodist nearly brought about a double-double as he trailed only Burden with 16 points in the victory.
  • Methodist, which leads the conference in steals per game with 9.5, almost doubled that figure, finishing Friday with 17 thefts.
  • Spragg, with 12 points, was the only Scot in double figures. Next in line was James Mitchell who notched all of his nine points, and all of his attempts, from behind the arc, shooting 3-for-12 from long range.
  • A 36 percent shooting team from beyond the arc, Covenant was limited to just 23 percent by the pesky Methodist defense.

NEXT UP
  • Methodist will square off with Maryville (Tenn.) College at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Barnes Center in a rematch of an early-season game in December, won by Maryville on the Monarchs' home court.
  • Maryville -- the No. 2 seed from the West Division -- advanced to the championship game in the early semifinal game, downing Averett University by a score of 77-59.
    
Print Friendly Version