FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. After a holiday hiatus, the Methodist women's basketball team returned to action at home on Monday to take on the Bethany College Bison. The visitors from the state of West Virginia outscored the Monarchs by 10 in the first quarter and held onto the lead for the duration of the contest, leading to a 13-point Methodist loss.
JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Bethany def. Methodist, 65–52
Records: Methodist 3–7, Bethany 5–5
Location: March F. Riddle Center; Fayetteville, North Carolina
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bison surged in the first quarter, ending the period on a 7–0 run to make the score 16–6. The 10-point deficit for the Monarchs was eventually cut to seven in the second quarter when
Nyleiah White drained a three pointer, but three consecutive baskets for the Bison bumped Bethany's lead up to 15.
Korin Gladden secured an offensive rebound and laid in a successful put-back attempt in the final seconds of the half to pull Methodist back within 13, making the halftime score 31–18.
Methodist scored the first points of the third quarter, with
Taylor Watford recording a layup eight seconds into the period. The next basket came with 6:17 to go in the quarter, when
Jada Richardson scored a layup. The Bison were held without points for the first four minutes and 20 seconds of the quarter, before Kaedlee Potter brought an end to the drought with a free throw. A run by the Bison saw Bethany's lead reach as many as 17 points, but the Monarchs closed out the third quarter with a layup by Richardson and a free throw from
Elise Robbins.
Giavonna Dunlap came to life for Methodist in the fourth, scoring all 11 of her points, including seven makes at the free-throw line on seven attempts. The Monarchs scored 22 points in the final quarter, but it wasn't enough to recover.
MORE TO IT
Both teams struggled on offense after not having seen game action since December 17. The Monarchs committed a season-high 40 turnovers, while the Bison turned the ball over a season-high 30 times. Methodist's turnovers created more shot opportunities for Bethany, allowing the Bison to score 29 points on takeaways.
For the Monarchs, Richardson recorded the best all-around game as she matched her career-high of 10 points, corralled eight rebounds, and contributed a career-high seven steals.
UP NEXT
Methodist is back at home on Wednesday, December 31, for a 2 p.m. tipoff against Bridgewater College. It's the team's final non-conference matchup of the regular season.
