RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Meredith College basketball Angels dropped Sunday's league contest 52-44 over USA South foe Methodist University. The result left both teams tied for fifth in the East Division with an early conference record of 1-2. Amy Rhoney led the Avenging Angels with 11 points, nine rebounds, and Courtney Roulhac hit 8 points from the field.

Senior standout Jessi Hayes scored her 1,000th career point on a three pointer at the buzzer to close out the third quarter. Hayes sits in sixth on Meredith's all-time leader board of points scored with 12 games remaining in the regular season.

Meredith's guards made every attempt to find Rhoney inside the paint, but unforced turnovers plagued the efforts. Roulhac took advantage of her quick first step to find room to score around MU's defense, and Maddie Gladwell scored a pair of layups in the fourth period to help Meredith's attack.

But Methodist's Jalisia Campbell and game high scorer Kaneya Chambers hit three important buckets midway through the final stanza to secure MU's position. The tenacious Monarch defense held off any pushback from Meredith to give MU the win.

Chandler Hines recorded seven points, three assists, and Brittany Preston notched six points, two steals.

Chambers posted 18 points for the Monarch's, and Campbell tallied 10 points, 13 boards.

The Avenging Angels travel to Greensboro Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. tipoff to kickoff a six game road series and return to Weatherspoon Gym February 1 to take on the Mid-Atlantic Christian Mustangs.