STAUNTON, Va. Staring in the face of an 11-point halftime deficit, the Methodist men's basketball team pulled off a comeback against Mary Baldwin University on Saturday, winning in overtime for the team's fourth straight victory in conference play. The Monarchs made free throws when it mattered most, sinking 13 of 14 shots from the stripe during the extra period.
JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Methodist def. Mary Baldwin, 80–73 OT
Records: Methodist 8–7 (4–1 USA South), Mary Baldwin 7–6 (2–3 USA South)
Location: Physical Activity Center; Staunton, Virginia
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Monarchs trailed for the majority of the first half as the Fighting Squirrels found success from three-point range, knocking down an astounding seven shots from deep on 12 attempts. Down by as many as nine points, Methodist recorded a 15–5 run to swing the score in its favor, taking a 30–29 advantage on a
KJ Brooks layup that came with under four minutes left in the first half. Mary Baldwin outscored Methodist 14–2 to close the period though, sinking a trio of three pointers to carry some momentum into the locker room along with a 43–32 lead.
Scoring on six of their first eight possessions to start the second half, the Fighting Squirrels stretched their lead to 14 with 16:10 remaining in the half. Over the next six minutes, the Monarchs didn't concede a single point while scoring 15 over their own to take a 58–57 edge. During the scoring streak,
Tre' Williams and
Brian Bullock each drained a shot from beyond the arc. The final 10 minutes of the second half were low scoring, with the teams combining for 19 missed shots (seven for Methodist and 12 for Mary Baldwin, including a potential game-winning layup that was blocked by Bullock).
After struggling at the free-throw line in the second half (6-for-13), the Monarchs still made getting to the line a priority in overtime. Brooks, Bullock and
Deuce Rice all went 4-for-4 on their overtime opportunities at the charity stripe, helping lift the Monarchs to a road victory in clutch fashion.
MORE TO IT
Brooks led the way with a season-high 23 points while also tallying seven rebounds, two assists and a block. He was a perfect 9-for-9 at the free-throw line.
Rice contributed a season-best eight points while
O'Montae Daniels logged a career-high 11 points and secured eight rebounds.
Methodist survived a first half with Mary Baldwin shooting 55% from the field, then stepped up defensively to hold the Fighting Squirrels to under 22% on their shots in the second half.
UP NEXT
The Monarchs face another road test on Tuesday, traveling to Pfeiffer University to face the Falcons for the second time this season. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. in Misenheimer, North Carolina.
