FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The William Peace men's basketball team opened USA South Conference play in heartbreaking fashion on Wednesday.
The Pacers fell by a narrow 71-70 score to Methodist at the Riddle Center. William Peace held a 67-61 lead with under three minutes remaining but were outscored 10-3 down the stretch, including nine straight points.
Down 71-69 with 0.3 seconds left, the Pacers were at the free throw line with a chance to tie. They made the first free throw but missed the second.
Tyler Parton scored on the putback but the official waved off the basket, signaling that time had already expired.
After building their six-point lead, the Pacers made 1 of 6 free throws, including four straight misses. Overall, they were 15 of 30 for 50 percent from the charity stripe.
Michael Dulin led three Pacer scorers in double figures with 19 points on 7 of 13 shooting, including four three-pointers.
Beau Bryant added 16 points and eight rebounds and
Timothy Pettiford contributed 12 points and seven boards.
Shawn Jones had seven points, five rebounds and two blocks and
Rashaun Tomlin scored six points off the bench.
The ending capped a tight contest that featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes. The score was tied 31-31 at halftime but the Pacers were ahead most of the second half. They led by seven points once and six points three times before the Monarchs rallied.
Derrion Hicklen scored 18 points to lead three players in double figures for the Monarchs, who made 17 of 21 free throws for 80 percent. Methodist upped its record to 1-0 in the USA South and 3-8 overall.
The Pacers return to the court on Saturday, Jan. 6, against Greensboro in their conference home opener at the Hermann Athletic Center. Game time is 4 p.m.
