LEXINGTON, Va.  Competing in the consolation game of the Washington and Lee Holiday Tournament, the Methodist men's basketball team came up short against Center College on Monday, losing on a buzzer—beating three—pointer. The Monarchs captured a nine—point halftime lead before succumbing to the Colonels' second—half comeback.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Centre def. Methodist, 68—65
Records: Methodist 4—7, Centre 8—4
Location: Holekamp Gym; Lexington, Va.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Monarchs worked in the paint early with Zac Sledge scoring the team's first two baskets, followed by four consecutive buckets made by Ke Edwards that put Methodist ahead 12—9. A three—pointer by David McCallum Jr. boosted the Monarchs' lead to eight points (19—11) approaching the midway mark of the first half.
• Centre cut the difference down to two points twice during the final minutes of the period, but Methodist scored the last three baskets — including a make by Chance Minott from beyond the arc — that gave the Monarchs a 37—28 advantage heading into the locker room.
• Things looked bright for Methodist as the second half commenced, with Sledge and Edwards continuing to pile on the points. With 14:30 to go, Edwards canned a triple to extend the Monarchs' lead to 14 points (46­—32). The margin reached 17 after three made free­ throws by freshman Greg Ehlinger, but then ensued a 12­—point run for the Colonels to cut the Methodist lead down to five with seven and a half minutes remaining.
• Edwards stopped the bleed with a dunk, and within a minute's time, the Monarchs were up by double—digits once again after a McCallum Jr. three­—pointer that made the score 56—46.
• The 10—point lead for Methodist evaporated as Centre produced a 10—0 run, tying the game at 56—56 with nearly five minutes still left to play. Neither team grabbed a lead of more than two points as the score drew even twice more over the next two minutes. With the Colonels possessing a 64—63 lead, the Monarchs elected to foul with 18 seconds remaining. A make on the first attempt was followed by a miss, and Edwards came down with the rebound for Methodist.
• After a timeout taken by head coach Aloysius Henry, the Monarchs successfully passed the ball into the paint for Sledge, who converted a two—point basket to tie the game at 65—65 with just six seconds left on the clock. The Colonels quickly inbounded the ball and then completed a pass over the top of the Monarchs' press, finding Jaxson Banks alone in the corner to bury a three as time expired.

MORE TO IT

• Finishing the day 10—for—11 from the field, Ke Edwards matched his career high with a game—high 21 points and logged a career—best five steals. The junior was named to the All—Tournament team, averaging 14 points and 5 rebounds in the two outings.
• Methodist pulled down 34 rebounds compared to the 26 collected by Centre.
• For the second day in a row, the Monarchs made more baskets from the floor and shot the ball at a better clip than their opponent, yet still wound up on the wrong side of the result. The big difference on Monday? Turning the ball over 14 times, which led to 20 points for the Colonels. Methodist turned Centre's nine turnovers into just nine points.

UP NEXT
The Monarchs are off until Tuesday, January 7, when they host Southern Virginia University in their first USA South action of the season. The Knights are currently sporting an 8-2 record and are 2-0 against common opponents shared with the Monarchs (97-88 win over Washington and Lee University, 83-73 win over Randolph College).