January 17, 2005
Monarchs drop tough 72-69 overtime shootout against Averett
Thomas records second straight double-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – With first place on the line in the USA South Athletic Conference, Tuesday’s showdown between Averett and Methodist proved to be epic. However, the Monarchs came up on the short end of this classic, falling 72-69 in overtime against Averett at the Riddle Center.

Methodist falls to 2-1 in the USA South and 4-10 overall.

After a lackluster first half by both teams, Methodist appeared in cruise control with a 42-30 lead with 13:30 remaining. That’s when Averett made its move through the perimeter shooting. The Cougars went on a 12-2 run to trim the Monarch lead to 44-42 on 3-point baskets by Dominique Stevenson and Dimitri Braakman.

Averett then went ahead on a lay-up by Rafael DeLeon, and increased its lead to five points with 3:36 remaining. Methodist, however, used a 9-4 run in the final stages to tie the score. Fred McDonald scored off a steal in transition, and then Seth Thomas drained two free throws with 20 seconds remaining to tie the game at 58-58.

Methodist had a final opportunity to win the game, but Eugene Grant’s fall away jump shot in the lane was blocked by DeLeon as time expired, sending game into overtime.

In the extra session, the Cougars gained early momentum on 3-point baskets by Stevenson and Sterling Williams. Andrew Boor’s lay-up with 2:48 remaining increased the Averett lead to 70-61.

There was no quit in Methodist. McDonald banked in a 3-point basket, cutting the Cougar lead to 70-66 with 1:13 remaining, and then Thomas followed with a 3-pointer at the one-minute mark to trim the lead to three points. Methodist had a chance to tie late, but Robert Lee’s 3-point attempt went in-and-out with three seconds remaining.

Thomas recorded his second straight double-double for Methodist with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Dragan Radmanovic scored 14 points and Eugene Grant added 10 points for the Monarchs. For Averett (12-4, 3-0), DeLeon scored 12 points, while Williams and Cory McDaniel each scored 11 points.

Methodist goes out of the conference on Saturday with a 3 p.m. game at Maryville.