BRIDGEWATER, Va. Participating in the Carlyle Whitelow Classic, the Methodist men's basketball team navigated a shaky start on Saturday afternoon in route to a four-point victory over Eastern Mennonite University from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Monarchs shot 50% from the field while finishing with 28 makes at the free-throw line — the team's most in a single game since 2020.
JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Methodist def. Eastern Mennonite, 75–71
Records: Methodist 2-2, Eastern Mennonite 0-4
Location: Nininger Hall; Bridgewater, Virginia
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Monarchs dug a hole for themselves by turning the ball over on each of their first four possessions, allowing the Royals to take a 6–0 lead.
Tre' Williams and
KJ Brooks each canned a three in an effort that saw the Monarchs pull within one of Eastern Mennonite, but the Royals countered with some triples of their own.
Eastern Mennonite pulled ahead by nine points (22–13) with 9:12 left in the period, but the Monarchs closed the half on a 16–7 run that included eight points scored by Williams. Methodist held the lead for roughly 30 seconds during the run (the team's only lead of the half), but the score was tied 29–29 at the break.
The Monarchs captured the lead to begin the second half with a made free throw by
Dontavious Pettaway, which was followed by a pair of threes by Williams — both of which were assisted on by
Ron Jones. Williams and Pettaway combined for the team's first 11 points to start the half.
Twice, an Eastern Mennonite player hit a big three to tie the game — first to make the score 46–46 with 12:48 to go, then at the 8:33 mark to even the score at 56–56. Four different Monarchs contributed a basket on an 8–0 run following the second tied score of the half, giving Methodist a comfortable lead to defend with the final six minutes remaining.
The Monarchs made sure the Royals never held a second-half lead, making their last nine of 10 attempts at the free-throw line to ensure the victory.
MORE TO IT
Williams set a new career high in points for the second game in a row, this time amassing a game-high 23 points in the win. He was one of four Monarchs to finish in double figures, joined by Brooks (17), Pettaway (16) and
Tomas Stevens (11). Brooks also ended one rebound shy of a double-double, securing a team-best nine boards.
Methodist's 28 free throws are the most since February 25, 2020, when the team made 29 shots at the charity stripe in a 90–83 win at William Peace University.
UP NEXT
The Monarchs are back in action at the Carlyle Whitelow Classic on Sunday, taking on host Bridgewater College at 1 p.m.
