RALEIGH, NC – The William Peace women's basketball team came back from a second half, double-digit deficit to beat Covenant on Sunday, but after digging themselves a similar hole against Methodist, a second half shooting drought sent the Pacers home with a 64-49 loss.
Methodist (2-10, 2-4 USAS) jumped ahead, 12-4, less than five minutes into the game, but the Pacers (5-7, 2-4 USAS) countered with a 9-0 run that gave them a one point edge (13-12) after Ka'la Jordan hit a jumper at the 10:33 mark. It was the first of 10 lead changes and four ties over the span of the next 15 minutes.
WPU trailed by one at the half (27-26), but Krystal Williams dialed one up from long-distance for a two point (34-32) Pacers lead with 16:15 remaining. Methodist responded with a 9-0 swing of their own though to recapture the lead for good. The Pacers went 0-6 from the field during the stretch and shot a less than impressive 23% (8-of-35) in the second half.
The Pacers finished the game shooting 26% (19-of-73) from the field and only 4-of-20 (20%) from down town, while Methodist went 43% from the field (24-of-56) with a 6-of-13 (46%) outing from beyond the arc. WPU did force 20 turnovers which led to 18 points at the other end, but Methodist won the battle of the boards, 54-42, and assisted 20 of their 24 field goals compared to only 10 helpers for the Pacers.
"We didn't seem to have any energy at times, and you're not going to win many games in this conference playing that way," explained head coach Kelly Johnson. "They executed better than us and did everything they had to do to win. We didn't, and we just have to learn from it."
Jordan led WPU with 12 points, three rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal. Brittany Boykin was the other Pacer in double-figures with 10 points and five steals. Derrica Jones finished a point shy of a double-double with nine points, 13 rebounds, a pair of assists, and three assists.
For Methodist, Alexis Wallace led the way with a game high 17 points in addition to 10 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Jalisia Campbell registered nine points, 11 boards, three assists, two steals, and two blocked shots.
WPU returns to action this weekend for a pair of home conference games. The Pacers tip off at 4:00 p.m. this Saturday against LaGrange, and then again on Sunday vs. Huntingdon at 3:00 p.m.
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