FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. Methodist men's basketball were unable to defeat Greensboro College on Saturday afternoon despite a strong offensive effort by the Monarchs in the second half. The Pride came away with a 76-67 USA South Athletic Conference win over the Monarchs inside the March F. Riddle Center.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Greensboro def. Methodist, 76-67
Records: Methodist 0-14 (0-3 USA South), Greensboro 7-7 (2-1)
Location: March F. Riddle Center; Fayetteville, N.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Methodist got off to a sloppy start offensively, turning the ball over four times in the first five minutes of gameplay and making just one of four shot attempts during that time. This contributed to Greensboro's 10-2 run to start the first half.
• Unable to slow down the Pride, the Monarchs' deficit continued to grow, reaching 17 points as Greensboro took a 30-13 lead. A layup by Methodist's Brone Brinson, followed by a three-pointer from Jeremy Mull, decreased Greensboro's lead to 12, but the home team's surge didn't last long. A 15-7 run by the Pride to close out the period gave Greensboro a 45-25 halftime advantage.
• T.J. East scored the first basket of the second half, closely followed by a two-point jumper from Brinson to narrow the gap to 16. Yet, the Monarchs found themselves down by 23 points with 14 minutes left to be played after a 10-3 run in favor of the Pride. Methodist answered with 10 straight points of their own (including five from East) to lower Greensboro's lead back down to 13.
• With just under eight minutes remaining, East made two shots from the charity stripe, pushing the Monarchs to within 10 points of the Pride. The teams battled back and forth for several minutes before another basket by East got Methodist to within nine. The Monarchs wouldn't gain any more ground though, exchanging scores with the Pride before ultimately falling 76-67.

MORE TO IT

• T.J. East paced all scorers with a career-high 26 points. He also contributed 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
• The Monarchs had 14 turnovers in the first half and a total of 22 during the entire contest. The Pride recorded 25 points off those turnovers.
• Greensboro's leading scorer was Matthew Brown, who contributed 16 points off the bench – part of the Pride's 41 points scored by bench players.

UP NEXT
Methodist hosts Brevard College on Sunday at 2 p.m. for another USA South matchup.