FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  Results were bleak from behind the arc for the Methodist men's basketball team on Saturday as the Monarchs hosted Mary Baldwin. Conversely, the Fighting Squirrels excelled from three-point land, knocking down nine shots from deep as they secured an 11-point win over Methodist.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Mary Baldwin def. Methodist, 74-63
Records: Methodist 3-9 (1-1 USA South), Mary Baldwin 6-7 (2-0)
Location: March F. Riddle Center; Fayetteville, North Carolina

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Methodist's Derrion Hicklen opened the contest with a two-point jumper that went unanswered for two minutes of play before Mary Baldwin's Quentin Hart drilled a three-pointer. As the teams exchanged baskets, the Monarchs found some success inside the paint while Jaden Ignacio and Vernon Fraley each contributed a triple to Mary Baldwin's cause. After a two-pointer by Brone Brinson brought the Monarchs to within three (13-10 with just over 13 minutes left in the half), the Fighting Squirrels produced an 8-0 run to push ahead by 11.
• Simultaneously, Methodist suffered a nearly five-minutes-long scoring drought, missing six straight shots. The Monarchs closed the gap back down to six after scoring nine of the next 13 points, but another three-pointer by Hart sparked a 13-4 run in favor of the visitors to close out the half.
• Entering the second period with a 15-point advantage, Mary Baldwin scored the first basket to go up by 17. The Monarchs claimed the next two scores, but the Fighting Squirrels answered with another two-point jumper of their own followed by back-to-back three-pointers. Methodist's deficit had now amassed to 21 points less than three minutes into the second half. Mary Baldwin's lead continued to build, peaking at 27 points when Luke Ogle flushed a two-handed dunk with 8:35 remaining in the contest.
• The Monarchs played their best basketball over the final eight minutes of the game. Playing tenacious defense, Methodist embarked on a 19-2 run (Hicklen and Brinson combined for 17 during the stretch), forcing multiple Mary Baldwin turnovers as the scoring margin shrank to 10 points with just under three minutes to play. The Monarchs were unable to decrease their deficit any more, but only conceded one more field goal to the Fighting Squirrels – a final three-pointer by Hart.

MORE TO IT

• Methodist outscored Mary Baldwin 25-9 over the final eight and a half minutes.
• Derrion Hicklin led all scorers with 26 points, just two points shy of his career high. It's his fourth 20-point performance through 11 games this season.
• The Monarchs were 0-for-11 from behind the arc, unable to match the firepower of Mary Baldwin's three-point shooters.
• Methodist was 9-for-11 at the free throw line, compared to Mary Baldwin's 9-for-18 showing. It's the second game in a row that Methodist's opponent has shot 50% at the charity stripe.

UP NEXT
The Monarchs begin a three-game road stretch in USA South competition, starting with a game at Greensboro College on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m.