Wesleyan basketball drops two on the road at Methodist

Fayetteville, NC - North Carolina Wesleyan’s hoops squads suffered a USA South doubleheader sweep on the road at Methodist University on Monday night. In the men’s game, the Monarchs used an 11-2 run midway through the second half to score a 77-72 victory, while on the women’s side, Methodist overcame a 14-point first half deficit to steal a 70-65 win.

In the mens’ game, the Bishops (14-9, 4-6 USAC) held a slim 35-34 lead at the break thanks to a 9-for-9 showing at the charity stripe in the opening period.  Methodist, however, took 40-39 lead at the 16:28 mark of the second half, and the Monarchs would not trail again.

Methodist (9-14, 4-6 USAC) extended its lead to 10 points on three occasions over the final six minutes of play, but the Bishops managed to make a game of it down the stretch, pulling to within three at 68-65 with 2:27 remaining. Unfortunately, Methodist knocked down 7-of-8 attempts at the free throw line to close out the game and preserve the victory.

Junior Trey Drake paced NCWC with 20 points.  Adam Coleman added 10 points, while freshman Alex Murray contributed eight points and nine rebounds.  As a team, the Bishops shot just 37 percent from the floor and went 1-for-12 from behind the arc.

For Methodist, Tyler Sigman and A.B. Lehmann had 20 and 19 points, respectively. The Monarchs were able to overcome 28 turnovers by shooting 48 percent from the floor.

On the women's side, Methodist (15-8, 10-6 USAC) trailed through much of the game, which included facing an early 14-point deficit. The Bishops, who put together a 17-2 run midway through the first half, held a 34-25 lead at intermission.

The Bishops (5-18, 3-13 USAC) scored first in the second half to go up 11, but Methodist started chipping away at the lead and eventually tied the game at 44-44 with 14:27 remaining.  Wesleyan responded with a basket on its next possession and maintained its lead until MU's Michaela Myers hit a jumper in the paint to give the Monarchs a 58-57 lead with 7:55 to go. 

A back-and-forth battle over the final seven minutes, the Bishops managed a 65-64 lead with 1:07 left in regulation, but the Monarchs finished 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute to secure the 70-65 win.

Dezzire Gilliard led the Monarchs with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Dawn Sanderson scored 17 points with eight rebounds.

Senior Essence Chambers paced three Bishops in double figures with 19 points and six assists. Freshman T'Keya Holloway added 17 points, while Angel Smith turned in a double-double with 10 points and 14 boards.

Wesleyan’s men and women return to action at home on Friday night when Averett University visits Everett Gym. The women’s game will tip off at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men’s game at 7:30 p.m.
 

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