FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. With hopes of a post-Thanksgiving victory on the hardwood, the Methodist men's basketball team returned home on Sunday afternoon for a matchup with the University of Lynchburg. After trailing by nine at halftime, the Monarchs found themselves down by just one possession within the final minute of play, but the Hornets held on to escape with a two-point win on the road.
JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Lynchburg def. Methodist, 72–70
Records: Methodist 2-4, Lynchburg 4-3
Location: March F. Riddle Center; Fayetteville, N.C.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Monarchs used the first three minutes to build a 7–2 advantage, but the Hornets regrouped and produced a 14-point run to go up 16–7. Methodist spent the remainder of the half fighting from behind, watching the deficit inflate to as many as 14 points as the Lynchburg offense shot 48% from the field.
Tre' Williams scored eight of the team's last 11 points of the half, including a layup that left his fingertips just before the buzzer sounded. His efforts helped decrease the difference to nine points with Methodist down 39–30 at the break.
Shredding the deficit down to four points during the first five minutes of the second half, Williams and
Ron Jones each knocked down a shot from behind the arc as part of a 12–7 run. Later, a six-point streak, which featured two baskets by
Brian Bullock and a layup by
KJ Brooks, brought the Monarchs within one point of the Hornets (52–51) with 10 minutes still to go.
A dunk by Lynchburg's Jamarcus Brown (who finished the day with a team-high 20 points) made the score 69–61 with 3:00 remaining. The Monarchs scored their next four points at the free-throw line, then called a timeout after securing a defensive rebound on a missed shot by Lynchburg. A perfectly executed inbound play allowed
Tomas Stevens to roll to the right side of the basket for two points, making the score 69–67 with 1:11 left in regulation.
A missed shot on both ends of the floor put the ball back in the hands of the Hornets with under 20 seconds left, leading to a foul and two made free throws for Lynchburg. Moving quickly, Methodist drew the next foul on a three-point attempt by Brooks, putting him at the line for three shots. After two makes, Brooks missed the third shot, allowing Lynchburg to get the rebound. The Monarchs fouled Jesse Mitchell, who missed on his first try but sank his second free throw to extend his team's lead to 72–69.
With seven seconds to go, Stevens brought the ball just past midcourt for Methodist before promptly being met by a pair of Lynchburg defenders, who, because of their team's three-point advantage, chose to foul the ball handler with four seconds left on the clock. Stevens made his first free throw before intentionally missing on the second attempt in an effort to give his team a chance at a tying shot, but Lynchburg's Brown grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled. Leading up to that moment, Brown was 4–6 at the free-throw line for the game but shooting just above 50% from the stripe on the season. With his team leading by two, Brown missed both shots at the line, but the Monarchs were unable to secure the loose ball in time to get a final shot off.
MORE TO IT
Williams led all scorers with a career-high 25 points, making a career-high eight shots from the floor while also recording a career-best three steals. Rebounds were key to Lynchburg's victory, as the Hornets came down with 44 boards compared to Methodist's 33.
This is Methodist's seventh consecutive loss in the all-time series against Lynchburg, though it's the closest the Monarchs have played the Hornets since Dec. 8, 2018, which was also a two-point loss (78–76) for Methodist at home.
UP NEXT
The Monarchs play their next two games at home, beginning with a rematch against Warren Wilson College on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. Methodist defeated Warren Wilson to start the season, cruising to a 77–60 win over the Owls on the road.
