FAYETTEVILLE, NC – The WPU Men's Basketball team trailed by four (72-68) with a minute to go, but Nate Strother buried a pair of triples in the final 25 seconds to lift the Pacers past Methodist, 74-73.
The Pacers improve to 12-10 overall and 8-3 in the USA South, good for a share of first place with Averett University. Methodist falls to 10-12 with a 6-6 record in conference play.
WPU started the game 6-of-11 (55%) from deep and jumped ahead by 15 (36-21) at the 4:23 mark after going on a 10-0 run. Terry Rogers started things off with a three-pointer. Tyquan Nolan scored five straight, and then Chris Thomas capped things off with a pair at the line. The Pacers didn't score the final 3:22 of the half though, and Methodist used an 8-0 spurt, cutting the lead to seven (38-31) by the break.
Less than two minutes into the second half, WPU was ahead by 12 (45-33), but Methodist made it a two point game (49-47) by the the 13:38 mark. Shawn Shaffer hit a shot with 10:38 left to extend the lead back to nine (58-49), but over the next eight minutes, the Pacers turned it over five times and went 1-of-6 from the field. Mike Major hit a pair of free-throws with 2:39 to go for a one point Methodist edge (65-64), their first lead since going up 2-0 to start the game, and then Brandon Monk put the Monarchs up four (72-68) with a minute left.
With 25 seconds remaining, Strother knocked in his first of two clutch threes, cutting the deficit to one (72-71). WPU trailed by two after the Monarchs made 1-of-2 at the stripe, until Strother struck again with the biggest shot of his career, putting the Pacers ahead by one (74-73) with only eight seconds to play. Methodist turned it over on their ensuing possession, and the Pacers held on to win.
"A lot of teams would have folded after [Methodist] went on a big run but these guys never quit," said head coach Claude Shields. "They've been in every situation and nothing fazes them. To be able to not play your best on the road and still win is pretty special and a testament to them."
WPU finished the game 9-of-27 (33.3%) from beyond the arc after their hot start, but they made seven more threes than Methodist (2-of-12, 16.7%), and they made them when they mattered most. Despite turning it over an uncharacteristic 18 times, the Pacers made up for it on the glass. They grabbed 14 offensive boards for 12 second chance points and out-rebounded Methodist by 15 (45-30).
Ryan Emfinger led WPU with 16 points and eight rebounds. Tyquan Nolan was the other lone Pacer to reache double-figures with 12 points and six rebounds. Thomas had nine points and six boards, while Strother scored nine to go along with a pair of rebounds and an assist. Shawn Shaffer registered eight points, seven rebounds and two assist after getting in some early foul trouble.
TJ Gill recorded a game high 22 points for the Monarchs, while Monk scored 21 on 8-of-12 (67%) shooting from the field.
The Pacers will be back in action this Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. game against Ferrum. The Pacers will also celebrate the program's first-ever senior day, recognizing Bryson Gibson, Michael Wolf and Shawn Shaffer. Video coverage and Live Stats will be available for the contest with Patrick Johnson taking the air 15 minutes prior to tip.
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