FAYETTEVILLE, NC – Christopher Newport's men's basketball squad lost its first USA South game, falling 61-57 at Methodist Sunday afternoon.

The Monarchs led by as many as 14 points in the second half, 44-30, with 17:26 left. The Captains chipped away at the lead by going on a 16-0 run to take the lead, 46-44, with 8:44 left to go.

Methodist battled back ahead by scoring eight straight to take a six-point lead with 4:28 remaining in the contest. Christopher Newport cut the lead to two with 10 seconds left, but the Monarchs made their free throws, sealing the win.

CNU scored the first bucket of the game but Methodist took the lead with 14:39 left in the opening half and would lead by as many as 10, 36-26, with 21 seconds left in the first.

MU shot 20-of-56 (36%) from the field, 7-of-18 (39%) from behind the arc and 14-of-15 (93%) from the free throw line. A.B. Lehman paced the Monarchs with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Tyler Sigman had 17 points and seven boards.

The Captains finished 23-of-69 (33%) from the floor, 3-of-23 (13%) from long range and 8-of-10 (80%) from the charity stripe. Davon Baron paced CNU with 17 points. Mike Green finished with 13 points and eight boards and Theo Baker added 10. Mark Blasingame had eight points, a game-high 14 rebounds and five blocks.

Methodist improves to 8-11 overall and 3-3 in USA South action. Christopher Newport falls to 12-7 overall and 5-1 in league play. The Captains return to action Wednesday when they host Shenandoah with tip-off set for 7:30 pm.

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