DANVILLE, Va.  Garren Dearman scored a season-high 26 points and the Methodist defense made several late stops to get the 74-73 win over host Averett University in USA South Athletic Conference men's basketball action Friday afternoon.

The 26 points by Dearman are the most by any Monarch in this early season. Over the final 1:55 of the game, the Methodist defense forced two missed Averett shots and one turnover to regain the lead, not including a missed shot that was released just after the buzzer sounded.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final Score: Methodist def. Averett, 74-73
Records: Methodist 3-1 (3-0 USA South); Averett 0-3 (0-2)
Location: Grant Center; Danville, Va.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• T.J. East gets credited with the "game-winner," which came at the 61-second mark. East drove into the paint and made the tough floater over the arms of Cougar defenders to give Methodist the 74-73 lead. Following two missed Methodist free throws, Averett's Montre' Cash had a good look for the potential game-winner but missed the pull-up jumper at the elbow with under five seconds left.
• Trailing 73-70 with 1:40 remaining, Dante Burden made it a one-point game after making both his free throws. Kevin McLaughlin Jr. subbed into the game and promptly made his presence felt, forcing a Cash turnover on their next offensive possession.
• The Monarchs were leading 70-65 with five minutes to play before the Cougars went on an 8-0 run over the next three minutes. Clayton Coe flipped the game by himself in the second half. He made three consecutive three-pointers, flipping a 60-59 deficit into a 68-63 lead.

THE NUMBERS

• It was the Monarchs' sharpshooting that led to this win. The 11 made three-pointers in this game by Methodist shattered its previous season-high of six, which came in the season opener. The Monarchs went 11-of-27 (41 percent) from deep while the Cougars shot 4-of-20 (20 percent).
• Dearman was 4-of-10 from deep and 10-of-19 overall. Coe went four-of-six from behind the arc, finishing with 12 points. Burden was second on the team with 16 points while leading the team with five assists.
• East led the team with nine rebounds. He added six points.
• Cash was one of five Cougars that scored in double digits. Cash had a team-high 16 points on 8-of-22 shooting.

UP NEXT
After Averett is the Greensboro College series for Methodist. The Monarchs go on the road on Friday, February 12 at 4:30 p.m. against the Pride before hosting Greensboro on Sunday, February 14 at 2 p.m. in the Riddle Center.