VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.  Having trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half, the Methodist women's basketball team nearly completed a comeback on Sunday afternoon, losing to Virginia Wesleyan University 53–52. The Monarchs held the Marlins to 20% shooting in the second half but fell one basket short of the win.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Virginia Wesleyan def. Methodist, 53–52
Records: Methodist 0-3, Virginia Wesleyan 2-2
Location: TowneBank Arena; Virginia Beach, Va.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• A three–pointer by Virginia Wesleyan's Keagan Schwab was her third make of the day on three attempts, putting the Marlins ahead 9–3 just three minutes into the contest. Kiley Hicks answered on the other end of the floor, making a layup through contact and tacking on a successful free throw. The Marlins missed their next five shots from the field and two free–throw attempts, while the Monarchs got hot, making their next four layups to take a 14–9 lead.
• Methodist entered the second quarter up 16–14, but the Marlins began the period scoring six of the first nine points. Two free throws by Rebecca McGaughnea gave the lead back to the Monarchs, but the pendulum swung again as Schwab canned another triple. Her shot began a 12–0 run for Virginia Wesleyan, which ended with yet another Schwab three–pointer. The teams traded baskets before halftime, sending the Marlins to the locker room with an 11–point advantage.
• After having watched Methodist go 2–for–15 from the floor in the second quarter, the Virginia Wesleyan saw its worst shooting stretch come in the third quarter, making just two baskets on 13 tries. Still, the Monarchs gained just two points on the Marlins, still trailing by nine (42–33) heading into the final frame.
• While the Monarchs didn't protect the ball to the best of their abilities early in the fourth quarter, they made up for it by forcing the ball away from the Marlins more. Virginia Wesleyan recorded 14 turnovers during the first five minutes of the period without logging a single made shot from the floor. Those possession changes included three steals each by Jillian Peterson and Arriana White, as well as two by Melissa D'Oleo. After all of those turnovers, Methodist had managed to cut the difference down to two points, still behind 44–42.
• With less than two minutes to go, Virginia Wesleyan had increased its lead back to eight. Up until this point, Methodist had gone 0–for–6 from behind the arc, but out of nowhere, the Monarchs hit from three–point land on three straight possessions (White–Serenity Webb–Peterson), closing the gap to one point with 25 seconds remaining. An offensive foul by the Marlins on the ensuing in-bounds play gave Methodist the ball with the opportunity to hold for the last shot. The Monarchs got two chances before the final buzzer but were unable to make either.

MORE TO IT

• Keagan Schwab led the scoring for both teams, recording 25 points while shooting 42% from the field. Methodist's leading scorer was Jillian Peterson with 10 points.
• Aneesa Irizarry did a little bit of everything for Methodist, recording seven points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals while turning the ball over on just two occasions.
• Freshman Eva McRae recorded the first six points of her collegiate career, shooting a perfect 3–for–3 from the field. She also collected four rebounds and one block.

UP NEXT
Methodist's next game will be its first USA South contest of the season. The Monarchs travel to Southern Virginia University on Friday, Nov. 22 for a 6 p.m. tip.