Pfeiffer women hold off Methodist in home victory

Published 10:26 am Friday, February 13, 2026

MISENHEIMER — The Pfeiffer women’s basketball team improved its conference position on Wednesday night, defeating Methodist 59-53 in Merner Gym.

With the win, the Falcons (12-9, 9-5 USA South) moved back into fourth place in the USA South Athletic Conference standings, trailing Southern Virginia, Brevard and N.C. Wesleyan. Methodist fell to 8-14 overall and 7-8 in league play.

Pfeiffer is aiming for its first winning season in eight years and its first conference championship in 19 years. With five regular-season games remaining, the Falcons remain on track to secure a winning record.

Last season, Pfeiffer finished 11-13 overall with a fifth-place 8-8 conference tally.

On Wednesday, sophomore guard Ava Hairston was once again Pfeiffer’s standout player with 16 points, five rebounds and six steals. Junior guard Lettie Michael added 12 points and four rebounds, while Kaleig Gunter contributed nine points and a team-high six rebounds.

Graduate forward Nyree Bell chipped in eight points and three assists.

Pfeiffer led by three after the first quarter and extended its advantage to 36-27 by halftime. The Falcons limited the Monarchs to just eight points in the third quarter, building a double-digit cushion before Methodist mounted a late rally. The Monarchs outscored Pfeiffer 18-10 in the fourth quarter to pull within six by the final buzzer.

Methodist’s Jad Richardson led all players with 22 points and seven rebounds.

The win followed a pivotal 70-63 home loss to N.C. Wesleyan on Monday that dropped Pfeiffer below the Battling Bishops in the standings; the Falcons are 2-2 since the start of February.

Pfeiffer currently ranks sixth among the conference’s teams in scoring offense and third in scoring defense. Hairston leads the Falcons at 14.2 points per game, followed by junior guard Miya Horton (12.6), Michael (10) and Bell (8.2).

Hairston’s scoring average ranks fifth in the conference, while Horton leads the league in steals at 4.3 per game. On the glass, junior guard Lola Cabaniss-Ali (6.1 rebounds per game) and Bell (5.7) pace the Falcons.

Pfeiffer will travel to Salem on Saturday before hosting William Peace on Tuesday. Brevard and Southern Virginia are still on the regular-season schedule before the USA South Tournament begins on Feb. 24.