FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  On Saturday, Methodist University women's basketball returned to the March F. Riddle Center to play Johnson & Wales University Charlotte in non-conference action. After leading by double digits in the fourth quarter, the Monarchs hung onto a slim 59-56 victory over the Wildcats in the closing seconds.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Methodist def. Johnson & Wales, 59–56
Records: Methodist 9–7, Johnson & Wales 12–5
Location: March F. Riddle Center; Fayetteville, North Carolina

HOW IT HAPPENED

• No points were recorded during the first two minutes of the contest until Methodist scored a quick six points in less than a minute. The two squads would exchange the next few points before another 6-0 run by the Monarchs put them in front by double digits, 15-4, for the first time. After the Wildcats registered three more points, Kayleen Grullon made sure Methodist went into the second quarter with a ten-point lead, 17-7, as she made a last-second layup at the buzzer.
• Jillian Peterson started up the scoring for the Monarchs in the new period with a three-pointer, followed by Melissa D'Oleo (2) and Kiley Hicks (1) contributed three more points to put Methodist up 23-9. In the last five minutes before halftime, though, Johnson & Wales outscored the Monarchs 9-4 to cut the deficit to a nine-point contest, 27-18.
• The early stages of the third quarter saw Methodist matching each of the Wildcats' first couple of shots before D'Oleo knocked down a three to put the Monarchs up by 12 points, 34-22. Methodist's double-figure lead did not last, though, as Johnson & Wales went on a 7-0 run to make it a five-point ballgame. The last four minutes of the period saw the Monarchs outscored the Wildcats 7-2 to take a 41-31 advantage into the fourth, with the duo of Arriana White (4) and Grullon (3) recording all of the points for Methodist during that span.
• Johnson & Wales scored its first three points of the quarter from the free throw line, but those points were quickly negated after Peterson drilled her second triple of the game for the Monarchs. The Wildcats didn't let the shot bother them, as they would go on an 11-2 run to turn the contest into a one-point affair, 46-45. After being held scoreless for almost five minutes of game action, Grullon and White teamed up again to score the next five Methodist points to end the drought, with less than four minutes left on the clock.
• The two teams traded the next several points, bringing the score to 55-49 before the game was exclusively played at the free throw line. After making its next six points at the stripe, Johnson & Wales was down by three, 58-55, with less than 30 seconds remaining. Methodist would go up two possessions following a free throw by White, but then a foul sent the Wildcats to the line with 0.5 seconds left. Johnson & Wales made the first of two shots but could not convert the second, which also nixed any last-second prayers for the Wildcats.

MORE TO IT

• Both Grullon and White excelled off the bench for Methodist. With ten points, Grullon led the team in scoring while White was right behind her with nine. White also had a game-high eight rebounds.
• With three assists today, senior Aneesa Irizarry surpasses 300 career assists as a Monarch. She is the eighth Methodist player to accomplish this milestone and the first since Zan Messer, who played from 2005-09.

UP NEXT
The next three games are all on the road for Methodist, with the team's first stop at Greensboro College next Saturday, January 25. The opening tip is scheduled to go up at 4:30 PM.