Wesleyan drops overtime heartbreaker to Lady Monarchs, 73-69

Fayetteville, NC - Behind a game-high 22 points and six three-pointers by senior J.D. Richardson (pictured), the Bishop women of North Carolina Wesleyan erased an 11-point halftime deficit to force overtime in Monday night’s USA South hoops action at Methodist University.  The Bishops actually held a 56-48 advantage with 2:44 remaining in regulation, but the Monarchs closed out the second half with a 10-2 game-tying run.  MU went on to out-score Wesleyan 15-11 in the extra period to steal the 73-69 victory.

With the win, Methodist improves to 13-10 overall, 7-5 in conference play.  The Bishops drop to 4-18 on the season, 1-11 in league action.

The Monarchs shot 46 percent from the floor to the Bishops’ 26 percent in the first half to forge a 33-22 lead at the break.  Richardson led all scorers in the period with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from behind the arc.

It was Wesleyan that caught fire in the second half, knocking down over 57 percent of its attempts from the floor (12-of-21).  Methodist went up 12 points, 41-29, less than two minutes into the period, but the Bishops responded with an 11-0 run to pull within one point.  The run, which saw five different Wesleyan players score, was capped by freshman Courtney Brown’s three-pointer at the 11:44 mark.

The Bishops managed to tie the score at 46-46 on a Lawanda Scott free throw with 7:14 remaining, and the ensuing 10-2 run put NCWC on top 56-48 with 2:44 remaining.  Wesleyan maintained a six-point lead at 58-52 with 44 seconds on the clock, but two missed free throws and two turnovers in the final minute allowed the Monarchs to chip into the lead. 

MU eventually sent the game into overtime on an Antionette Holliday lay-up with 10 seconds left that tied the score at 58-58.  Methodist never trailed in the extra period.

In addition to Richardson’s 22, April Wilson recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Scott finished with eight points and 11 rebounds of her own.  Freshman Shameika Faircloth chipped in 13 points, while Liz Ansley dished out a game-high five assists.

Stacy Williams had 14 points and eight rebounds to pace the Monarchs.  Holliday, Zan Messer, and Ashley Harris each netted 12 points on the night.