Methodist held off LaGrange down the stretch for a 53-48 win Saturday at Mariotti Gymnasium. The Panthers slipped to 2-14 on the season, while the Monarchs improved to 6-9.
Marcus Vaughn had a game-high 16 points for the Panthers. Vaughn was a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line. Nic Whitfield added 13 points.
The Panthers shot only 26.3 percent from the floor in the game. The Panthers made only 2-of-23 3-point shots in the game.
Methodist was led by Josh Hayes' 15 points. Terrell Stallings added 12 points and Bryan Hockaday had a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Panthers led 27-25 at halftime. The Monarchs led 18-13 with seven minutes left in the half. The Panthers went on a 14-2 run over a five-minute span to take a 27-20 lead.
In the second half, the two teams swapped the lead back and forth for 14 minutes. Hockaday's layup put the Monarchs ahead to stay, 44-43, with 6:10 left in the game.
Vaughn made a pair of free throws to close the Panthers within one, 46-45, with 4:28 remaining. The Monarchs made enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.
The Panthers host Berry on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in a non-conference game.
