MONTREAT, N.C.— Tyler Rodrigue put back a missed 3-point attempt in the closing seconds to place the Montreat men's basketball team in the win column with a 95-93 home win over the Johnson University – Tennessee Royals Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Cavaliers improved to 2-1 both overall and in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) standings.
 
Montreat, like it did in its home opener on Nov. 6 against Milligan, started quickly with hot 3-point shooting. The Cavaliers drilled five of their first eight attempts from behind the arc, pushing themselves out to an early 26-15 lead. Noah Dunn had nine points, and Mike Flenory added eight points to help spur the rapid start.
 
Despite trailing by double digits midway through the contest, the Royals were undeterred in their efforts. A 19-5 run over five and a half minutes erased Montreat's lead and put Johnson up 35-34 with 6:05 remaining in the first half; however, the lead did not last long. JaJa Davis and his fellow teammates tightened up defensively and started attacking the basket on offense, earning several trips to the charity stripe. The Cavaliers turned a 39-39 score line into a 51-43 advantage heading into the half.
 
Davis and Dunn each poured in 12 points and combined for 11 rebounds in the first half. The Cavaliers as a whole shot an efficient 46 percent from the field, including 8-17 on 3-point attempts. Montreat also hit 11 of its 13 free throws after 20 minutes of play.
 
Montreat kept Johnson (2-3, 1-2 AAC) at arm's length for much of the second half. The Cavaliers built their lead to as large as 13 points (71-58) with 10:26 left in regulation, and the home crowd had McAlister Gym rocking. But Johnson had another surge in it, and it whittled Montreat's lead all the way down to 73-72, thanks in large part to an 11-0 run.
 
From 6:37 to 2:19 remaining in regulation, the two teams combined to score on 15 consecutive possessions. The string of points was broken with 2:04 on the clock when the Cavaliers missed a 3-point basket, and Johnson capitalized just eight seconds later with a triple to grab an 89-88 lead.
 
After another empty offensive possession, the Cavaliers defense needed to step up. Jamiel Wright understood the assignment and picked the pocket of a Johnson wing player, spurring a transition 3-point basket by Dunn to put the Cavs back up by two (91-89). Both teams scored on their following possessions, and two Royals free throws tied the contest back up at 93 with just 30.1 seconds left.
 
Montreat called a timeout to draw up a play knowing it could hold the ball for essentially the final shot of regulation. The play resulted in a deep but open 3-point look for Dunn on the left wing. His triple hit the iron and fell off the mark, but Rodrigue crashed the glass and grabbed an offensive rebound on the left block. Rodrigue exploded up to the basket and put the rebound back off the glass and through the hoop with 2.7 seconds remaining. Johnson's ensuing inbounds pass was picked off at midcourt, and Rodrigue walked out of McAlister Gym with the game-clinching bucket in a 95-93 win.
 
"We wanted to get the ball to Noah [Dunn]…so we got him the ball with plenty of time to allow him to get a shot off," Rodrigue said. "Obviously, you want to shoot with a little bit of time left for the chance to get a rebound, so coach basically just said that as soon as [Dunn] shoots, everybody needs to crash the boards."
 
Rodrigue added, "I was just the lucky enough one to get it, put it back for the team and help us get a good win tonight."
 
Davis tied for the game-lead in points with 25, thanks to his elite 13-of-14 effort at the free throw line. He also hauled in 11 rebounds for his third-straight double-double to start the season. Dunn scored 21 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. Eli Idlett also reaching double-figures in scoring with his 15-point outing. Overall, the Cavaliers shot 48.5 percent (33-68 FG) from the field, 32.3 percent (10-31 3PT) from behind the arc and 79.2 percent (19-24 FT) at the free throw stripe.
 
Montreat men's basketball takes a brief break from conference play for its upcoming Thursday-night contest at Bob Jones University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Greenville, S.C.