RALEIGH, N.C. Methodist women's basketball came up just short Saturday afternoon, falling 51–46 to Meredith College in a tightly contested USA South matchup inside Weatherspoon Gymnasium.
THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Meredith def. Methodist, 51–46
Records: Methodist 8-15 (7-9 USA South), Meredith 4-18 (2-13 USA South)
Location: Weatherspoon Gymnasium; Raleigh, North Carolina
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The game opened as a back-and-forth battle before Meredith used a 6–0 run to build a 10–4 advantage. Methodist answered with jumpers from senior Eva McRae and sophomore Korin Gladden, but two free throws by the Avenging Angels kept the Monarchs trailing 12–8 at the end of the first quarter.
- After Meredith briefly extended its lead to six, Methodist responded emphatically. A 12–0 Monarch run — highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from sophomore Kayleen Grullon — swung the momentum and gave Methodist a 20–14 edge. The Monarchs maintained control the rest of the half, taking a 24–18 lead into the break as Jada Richardson's interior scoring matched Meredith basket for basket late in the second quarter.
- Methodist carried that momentum into the third period. Baskets from Gladden, Kenya Atterbury, and Jehari Jacobs pushed the lead to 30–18, the Monarchs' largest of the afternoon. Meredith chipped away with a 5–0 run to pull within single digits, and the teams traded baskets down the stretch, sending Methodist into the final quarter ahead 34–27.
- Meredith surged early in the fourth, trimming the deficit to four at 36–32. Grullon responded with six of the next eight overall points, stretching the Methodist lead back to 42–34. However, the Avenging Angels delivered the decisive blow with a 13–0 run, reclaiming the lead at 47–42 — their first since the second quarter.
- The Monarchs battled to the final seconds, cutting the deficit to three, 48–45, with 30 seconds remaining, but were unable to complete the comeback as Meredith secured the 51–46 victory.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Kayleen Grullon led Methodist with 15 points, while Jada Richardson added 14.
- Neither team shot efficiently from the floor, with Meredith holding a slight edge at 31.9 percent compared to Methodist's 28.2 percent. The difference came in the fourth quarter, when Meredith shot 75 percent from the field.
- Methodist won the battle on the boards, 41–37, turning that into a 15–5 advantage in second-chance points.
UP NEXT
Methodist concludes its four-game road stretch Tuesday, February 17, with a 7 PM tipoff at North Carolina Wesleyan University.
