BREVARD, N.C. - Cannon Lamb posted a 27-point performance that set his new career-best mark, however, the Brevard College men's basketball team (2-9, 1-3 USAS) fell by a final of 91-71 in a USA South Conference game against Methodist University (7-5, 3-1 USAS) on Saturday afternoon at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
Cannon Lamb, a native of Marion, North Carolina, tallied 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting while hauling down a team-best eight rebounds. The junior forward made a team-high three 3-pointers while recording a pair of assists, steals, and blocks in the contest. The performance bested his former career-high outing, 21 points, that he posted twice this season - on November 19, 2019 vs. Bob Jones University and on December 7, 2019, against Berea College.
Senior guard Demari Hopper recorded 18 points and seven boards, while senior forward Levi Lamb added 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting. The trio of Hopper, Cannon Lamb, and Levi Lamb accounted for 61 of Brevard's 71 total points on Saturday afternoon.
Methodist's entire starting five reached double-figure scoring totals, led by Garret Dearman who totaled 21 points. The Monarchs' defense, which forced 25 Brevard turnovers, was boosted by Kevin McLaughlin Jr. and Derrick Newberry, who collected four and three steals respectively.
Brevard held its lone lead of the contest following a 3-point jumper from Levi Lamb that put the Tornados up 3-2. The Monarchs would take control from there, holding an 11-7 lead with 14:41 left in the first half. Two minutes of scoreless action ensued before Methodist jumped out to an 11-0 scoring run to extend its lead to 15 points, 22-7, with 10:23 remaining in the first half.
The Monarchs continued their hot first half, holding a lead as high as 21 points before taking a 19-point advantage to the halftime intermission, 45-26.
With Methodist holding a 20-point cushion, 53-33, Brevard was able to string together an 11-1 scoring stretch that cut the Monarch lead to 10 points at 54-44 with 14:46 left in the game. However, the Monarchs used their hot shooting to reclaim control of the contest, utilizing a 16-4 run to hold a game-high 22-point lead, 70-48, at the 11:01 mark.
Brevard attempted to stage a comeback attempt with several runs, however, Methodist was able to close the door and seal its 91-71 victory.
The Monarchs and Tornados both shot efficiently from the field and from distance. Methodist shot an impressive 63.2% from the field and 56.3% from long-range after draining 9-of-16 3-pointers. Brevard made 51.9% of its shots and drained eight 3-pointers on 36.4% shooting from distance.
Methodist was able to convert Brevard's 25 turnovers into 34 points-off-turnovers and ran out for 21 fastbreak points. The Tornados held a 27-24 rebounding advantage and turned their 10 offensive boards into 14 second-chance points.
Head Coach Lee Burgess' team will face a quick turnaround as the Tornados host N.C. Wesleyan College (5-6, 1-2 USAS) on Sunday at 2 p.m.
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