Virginia Beach, VA - The Regent University Men's Basketball Team tipped off Saturday against Methodist University after a short hiatus for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Royals recently faced the Monarchs before the break, and fell short 72-86. However, today they were looking to avenge the loss and get back into the win column.
Regent has relied heavily on a small-ball style lineup this season, which has worked in their favor in the defensive statistical categories, where the Royals are averaging nearly eight steals a game. They put this to the test tonight once again against the bigger lineup for the Monarchs, and managed to succeed for the vast majority of the first half. Sophomore Brendan Goods (Long Beach, CA) controlled the offense and also helped spark a defensive effort, while fellow Sophomore Antoine Brown (Chesapeake, VA) controlled the boards. Sophomore Micah Eastman (Virginia Beach, VA) hit a three that seemed to be the catalyst for the Royals with just over three minutes left in the first half. Despite their collective effort on both ends, the Monarchs would go on a quick run and Regent trailed at the half, 39-27.
The second half began with a consistent back-and-forth scoring battle, with neither team seeming to gain an upper hand. The Royals consistently found ways to help on defense, and force tough shots, that led to defensive rebounds allowing them the opportunity to push the ball down the court quickly. Regent continued to chip away at the lead, as Junior Darrin Clark (Suffolk, VA) led the way with just under 10 minutes left in the game. Freshman Christian Brown (Chesapeake, VA) hit a big three with six minutes remaining, to pull the Royals to within 12 points of Methodist. That momentum led to two free throws for C. Brown, and then another three from the corner. He followed that up by connecting on another three from the top of the arc, and added a steal, which was followed by a layup to get Regent to within under double-digits. With just under 2 minutes left, C. Brown once again went to the free throw line. Just when it seemed like the game was out of reached, another big three from C. Brown and a pair of free throws by Goods trimmed the Monarch advantage to three points. However time would eventually run out as the Royals fell by a final score of 76-72.
C. Brown led Regent with 20 points, while Goods finished with 15 points and 4 steals. In addition, A. Brown added 11 points to go along with his team high 10 rebounds (4 Offensive and 6 Defensive). As a team, the Royals scored 17 points off of turnovers.
After the game, Regent boarded the vans for a trip to Farmville, VA where they will face Longwood University in an Exhibition on Sunday, December 1st. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 PM, and will be featured on ESPN+.
