FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  Despite holding a nine–point advantage during the second half of Wednesday night's game, the Methodist men's basketball team came up short against the Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan University, suffering a four–point loss at home. It's the first time this season in which the Monarchs have scored more than 70 points but not won.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: N.C. Wesleyan def. Methodist, 80–76
Records: Methodist 5-12 (1–5 USA South), N.C. Wesleyan 11–8 (5–3 USA South)
Location: March F. Riddle Center; Fayetteville, N.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• North Carolina Wesleyan's Khalid Chavis–Hinds proved tough for the Monarchs to handle all night. He scored nine early points as he helped push the Battling Bishops to a slim 13–10 lead just over six minutes into the game. Methodist simultaneously worked through the middle, getting the ball into the hands of Zac Sledge, who scored three of the team's first four baskets.
• The Monarchs captured a three–point advantage when David McCallum Jr. knocked down a shot from behind the arc, but six free throws made by Chavis–Hinds contributed to a 10–0 run in favor of the visitors, putting Methodist behind 27–18 with 9:05 left in the first half.
• Making four consecutive baskets, the Monarchs seemed to turn the tide, and Ke Edwards punctuated the 8–0 run with a monstrous slam dunk. Jarius Fajardo added six points to the board within the span of two minutes, and Edwards elevated once more before the end of the half to give Methodist a 35–32 edge at the break.
• Methodist could have hardly dreamed up a better start to the second half. The team scored on its first three trips down the court while defensively forcing missed shots on the first two North Carolina Wesleyan possessions, gaining a nine–point advantage over the Battling Bishops. However, Marquis Eskew drained two shots from downtown to spark an 11–3 run for North Carolina Wesleyan, which cut the difference down to one point (48–47 with 13:26 to play).
• The lead changed when the Battling Bishops executed a 9–0 scoring run that included two baskets by Justin Burden. Burden played a huge role for the visitors in the second half, scoring 16 of his 21 points. With the score tied at 59–59 with just over seven minutes remaining, Burden buried a three–pointer to put his team back in front.
• As the clock ticked down inside of four minutes, Ron Jones hit clutch, mid–range jump shots on back–to–back possessions, each time pulling the Monarchs within one point of their opponent. The Battling Bishops remained scoreless from the field for the final three and a half minutes but lived at the charity stripe, making 12 of 15 attempts during that span. Derrion Hicklen did all he could to give Methodist a chance, producing a trio of successful three–pointers in the final minute of play, but it still wasn't enough to overcome North Carolina Wesleyan's efforts at the free–throw line.

MORE TO IT

• Ke Edwards finished the night with 19 points (tied for the most on the team) and a game–high 12 rebounds, marking his third double–double this season. Shooting 8–for–12 from the floor tonight, he's now 40–for–60 (66.7%) in his last four outings. 
• The Battling Bishops recorded 11 offensive rebounds in the second half. They totaled 35 rebounds on the night, with 15 on the offensive glass. The Monarchs pulled down 38 boards, but just 10 came on offense.
• Methodist was guilty of 15 turnovers, leading to 16 points in transition for North Carolina Wesleyan.

UP NEXT
Methodist will take on the top–ranked team in the league of Saturday, traveling to Buena Vista, Virginia, to face Southern Virginia University at 2 p.m. The Knights are 7–1 in USA South action, 16–3 overall, and defeated Methodist 66–55 when the teams met in Fayetteville on Jan. 7.