Men Finish Strong

Bomb Methodist by 20 Following Women’s Loss

For More Information, Contact: Scott Musa, 540.665.5417

Men’s Basketball

WINCHESTER , Va. – The SU men’s basketball team capped off an outstanding season Sunday afternoon with an 88-66 victory over Dixie leader Methodist College .

Shenandoah (14-11, 9-5) clinched the first winning season of the Robert Harris era and also tied a school record for most Dixie Conference victories in a season with nine. SU was 9-3 in 1996, a year in which the Hornets last went to the Dixie Conference Tournament.

The win also knocked Methodist (15-10, 10-4) out of a tie for the regular season championship. The Monarchs loss today, coupled with CNU’s win over Greensboro and Averett’s victory over NC Wesleyan gives the regular season title outright to the Captains. Seventh place Chowan also defeated Ferrum, allowing Greensboro to remain in the fifth place position.

As with Shenandoah’s win over Greensboro on Saturday, the hosts began the game with a strong opening run. SU scored the first 11 points of the game and held Methodist scoreless for the opening 5:26 of the ballgame, threatening to end the contest before it started.

However, Methodist refused to fold, as the battled back to take a 21-18 lead with 6:46 to play in the first. Unfortunately for the Monarchs, SU answered with a 9-0 run of its own to lead 27-21 with 4:11 remaining.  The two teams traded baskets the rest of the first, allowing the Hornets to take a 36-31 lead into the halftime lockerroom.

Methodist got it as close as one point following a David Borkowski trey with 13:57 left, but the Hornets answered with a 22-3 run over the next 5:33 to put the game away.

Senior Ronald Merriwether ( Frankfurt , Germany /Giessen American) put in one last bid for Player of the Year honors with 28 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Tyson Thompson (Keysville, Va./Randolph-Henry) added 19 points and seven assists. Junior Michael Atkins ( Winchester , Va. /Sherando) turned in another solid performance with 14 points and 10 boards.

Demarkus Byrd had 16 points and 11 rebounds for MC while Ron Brown chipped in with 11 points and Ivan Little 10.

Box Score 

The Hornets will face No. 5 seed Greensboro in the first round of the Dixie Tournament next Thursday in Fayetteville , N.C.

Tournament Bracket

Gm 1: No. 1 Christopher Newport vs No. 8 Averett          2:00

Gm 2: No. 3 NCWesleyan vs. No. 6 Ferrum                      4:00

Gm 3: No. 4 Shenandoah vs No. 5 Greensboro                6:00

Gm 4: No. 2 Methodist vs No. 7 Chowan                           8:00

Semi-Finals - Friday

Game 1 winner vs Game 3 winner                          6:00

Game 2 winner vs Game 4 winner                          8:00

Finals – Saturday

Championship                                                                       4:00

Women’s Basketball

WINCHESTER , Va. - The Shenandoah women's basketball team ended its regular season on a sour note Sunday afternoon as Methodist College handed SU its seventh consecutive loss, 73-59, in front of 473 fans in Shingleton Gymnasium.

The Hornets (4-21, 1-13) put forth a strong showing in the first half; SU sprinted out of the gate to a 10-0 lead behind four points from senior Wendy Legge (Stephens City, Va./Sherando). Unfortunately, the Lady Monarchs (14-11, 10-4) would engineer a 21-3 run of their own to help themselves take a 30-24 lead into the half.

Shenandoah nearly matched its opening start in the second half, as its 12-6 run gave the Hornets a 38-36 advantage with 13:19 remaining. This would prove to be the final lead of the game for SU; the unrelenting Lady Monarchs responded in convincing fashion leading by as much as 69-49 with 2:27 remaining before settling for a 73-59 victory.

Brandy McCollum led MC with 14 points and Latasha Watlington added 13.  Jennifer Neal and Meg Coe also did well for the Lady Monarchs with 10 points and 10 rebounds, respectively.

In her final regular season game in a Hornet uniform, Legge went out in style coming one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards in addition to a career high 28 points Legge's is now tied with Sharon Hitt ‘89 for 10th on the all-time scoring list with 1039 points.

Box Score

The Hornets now advance to the Dixie Conference Tournament in Rocky Mount , N.C. where they will face Christopher Newport this Thursday at 2:00 .

Shenandoah University offers 16 intercollegiate sports, eight for men and eight for women. For further information, please contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 540-665-5417 or visit our web site at http://www.su.edu/athletics. For Dixie Conference Information, please visit the Dixie Conference home page: http://www.dixieconference.com.

Shenandoah University is a comprehensive Level V private university with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students in five schools: School of Arts & Sciences, Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business, Shenandoah Conservatory, Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy and the School of Health Professions (Athletic Training, Nursing, Physician Assistant, Respiratory Care, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy). The University offers more than 60 programs of study at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels.