FERRUM, Virginia -- Ferrum College dropped a non-conference women's basketball game to visiting Methodist University, falling 55-49 this afternoon at Swartz Gym.

RECORDS
Methodist (5-2)
Ferrum (5-4)

THE BASICS
Methodist jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Taryn Blankenship's pair of free throws got Ferrum on the scoreboard at 6:52 of the first quarter. The Monarchs extended the lead to 9-2, then closed the quarter on top 12-6.

Jillian Peterson's jumper in the paint gave Methodist a 23-14 lead at 4:00 of the second quarter, but Ferrum answered with an 8-0 run that cut the lead to a point on Breandria Oliver's jumper, making it a 23-22 game with 47 seconds left in the quarter. Peterson nailed a three-pointer in the waning seconds to give the Monarchs a 26-22 lead at the break.

The third quarter was tight, with Methodist outscoring Ferrum 17-15 to carry a 43-37 lead into the fourth. Methodist grabbed its biggest lead, 11 points, on Melissa D'Oleo's three-pointer to make the score 48-37 with 7:28 left in the fourth quarter. The Monarchs matched the 11-point lead twice more before holding on for the the road win.

KEY STATS
Methodist: Jessica Drake 18 pts; D'Oleo 12 pts; Rebecca McGaughnea 9 pts, 9 reb
Ferrum: Allessandria Thomas 15 pts; Blankenship 8 pts, 5 reb, 3 steals; Allyson Cassell 7 pts, 8 reb

NEXT UP
Coach Bryan Harvey's team will be back on the court Wednesday, December 13, at Maryville College. The non-conference game is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off in Maryville, Tennessee.