The rematch of last season’s NCAA Division III National Tournament first round game was arguably the best defensive game by Methodist since its opener against Maritime State. Methodist out-rebounded Maryville 45-40 and had a whopping 11 blocked shots, including five by center Michael McEvoy.
But the poise and headiness of the Scots prevailed in the end.
There were two lead changes before Methodist took a 41-38 on a 3-point basket by Eugene Grant with 10:23 remaining. Methodist increased the lead to three points on a lay-up by Marcus Hairston, and took a 50-46 lead on Dragan Radmanovic’s 3-point basket at the 7:27 mark.
However, Maryville increased the defensive intensity, forcing three straight turnovers. The Scots then took the lead for good, 53-51 on Monte Calloway’s 3-point basket with 3:46 remaining. Methodist twice cut the deficit to two points, including 61-59 on Seth Thomas’ 3-point basket with 24 seconds remaining. But Maryville made eight free throws down the stretch to seal it.
While the second half was filled with excitement, the same could be said for the first half. Neither team shot better than 30 percent from the field. But Methodist overcame a 22-14 Scot lead by closing out the half with a 9-0 run. Robert Lee put the Monarchs ahead 23-22 at halftime on two free throws with seven-tenths of a second remaining.
McEvoy and Lee each paced Methodist with nine points, followed by Grant with eight points. Thomas, Radmanovic and Moore each added seven points. Radmanovic grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, followed by Thomas with 11 rebounds. Jeremy Holliday recorded a double-double for Maryville (6-0) with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Bo Mason and Jonathan Johnson both scored 12 points for the Scots.
Methodist travels to Voorhees on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.