LAURINBURG, N.C.— In its final game before Thanksgiving, the Montreat men's basketball team found its shooting stroke early and often to roll past the St. Andrews University Knights in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup on Tuesday afternoon. With Tuesday's 94-80 victory in Laurinburg, N.C., the Cavaliers head into Thanksgiving with a 4-2 (3-2 AAC) record.
 
It was the Seth Smith show early on for St. Andrews, as he managed to score eight of the game's opening 12 points in just 90 seconds of action; however, without much early help from his teammates, the Cavaliers closed and erased the gap within a few possessions. The Cavaliers ultimately converted on six of their first seven trips down the floor to lead 14-8.
 
Three-point shooting proved to be key all half for the Cavaliers, as Noah Dunn, Tyler Rodrigue and Mike Flenory poured in early triples to rapidly build a double-digit lead. Flenory's 3-point basket capped off an 18-0 run that launched Montreat ahead of the Knights, 22-8. That run would grow to 21-2 as the Cavaliers hit nine of their first 15 shots from the field.
 
St. Andrews (1-6, 1-5 AAC) started to settle back into the contest after a timeout and put together a few runs to chip away at the early hole, but the Cavaliers regularly had an answer. A 10-0 run pulled the Knights within five (25-20) before Rodrigue drilled two triples to push the lead back into double figures. Then, a 6-0 run brought SAU within a few baskets, but Jaylan Shelton nailed two 3-pointers to stem the tide and keep the Knights at arm's length.
 
In the closing minutes of the opening half, the Cavaliers blew the contest wide open. An Eli Idlett layup extended another Montreat run out to 11-0, and a Dunn triple proved to be the exclamation point on a half of play significantly tilted in Montreat's favor, 54-34.
 
The first half was one of Montreat's most complete halves of the early season. Montreat's defense forced five turnovers, registered two blocks and allowed its fewest points in a half (34) since the season-opening rout of Milligan University. St. Andrews scored just 34 points in the frame, shooting 32.4 percent (12-37 FG) from the field and 28.6 percent (4-14 3pt FG) from behind the arc. On the other side of the ball, the Cavaliers shot at an effective 9-for-16 clip both inside and behind the arc (56.3 percent). Montreat also hit nine of its 10 attempts at the charity stripe.
 
Rodrigue and Dunn both tallied 14 points in the opening 20 minutes, while Dunn hauled in seven rebounds. Idlett and Shelton sat just outside of double-digit points in the first half with nine and eight points, respectively.
 
Similarly to the first half, the Cavaliers offense was once again prolific out of the gate in the second half. Montreat scored on nine of its first 12 possessions to open the frame, pushing its 20-point halftime lead out to 79-51. The Cavaliers continued their offensive onslaught nearly midway through the period, scoring 28 points in less than eight minutes, thanks in large part to a 7-for-10 effort from 3-point range. The triples were falling, and the Cavaliers seized their largest lead of the game, 82-53, with 12:10 left in regulation.
 
After falling behind by 29 points, St. Andrews' offense finally found its groove. A quick 10-0 spurt brought the Knights within 20 points of the Cavaliers, and a 19-4 run pulled SAU within two touchdowns (86-72). A fluid spell of offense saw the Knights surpass their first-half total of 34 points in just 12:30 in the second.
 
With momentum shifting towards the St. Andrews bench, the Cavaliers needed an answer. That's when JaJa Davis stepped up. The senior from Virginia Beach, Va. scored 13 points in the second half, including a stretch where he scored 11 of Montreat's final 13 points to fend off SAU's last-ditch efforts. A few clutch free throws and layups, as well as an emphatic dunk off an offensive rebound, helped seal the Cavaliers' 94-80 victory.
 
"Going on the road is always a challenge, so I'm proud of the guys for stepping up and playing good team basketball," said head coach Garrett Jones. "We will need to continue to get better as a group, but today was a positive step in the right direction."
 
Montreat shot the ball well from all areas of the floor, including 54.2 percent (32-59 FG) overall, 48.5 percent (16-33 3pt FG) from 3-point range and 70 percent (14-20 FT) at the free throw line. The Cavalier defense also held the Knights to 41.7 percent (29-70) shooting overall and 32.1 percent (9-28 3pt FG) shooting from behind the arc, leading to a team edge in rebounding (36-28).
 
Rodrigue, Dunn and Davis combined to hit 24 of Montreat's 32 made baskets. The trio combined to shoot 80 percent from the field (24-30 FG) and tally 69 of Montreat's 94 points. Rodrigue led the way with 28 points on 10-of-11 shooting, while Dunn recorded a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double. Davis just missed a double-double with his 17 points and nine rebounds. Dunn and Jamiel Wright tied for the team lead with four assists.
 
Jones added, "We shot the ball really well, and that always helps."
 
Men's basketball returns to action next Wednesday at Reinhardt University for the final contest of its four-game road trip. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. in Waleska, Ga.