MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat men's basketball team began its season with a first half to remember, scoring 68 points en route to a 99-63 triumph over conference foe Milligan University. With the impressive opening win, the Cavaliers started the season 1-0, both overall and in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play.
 
JaJa Davis provided the Cavs' offense in the early going with a couple of buckets as the teams settled into the game. Davis, who ended the first period with 12 points to go along with five boards, scored seven points in the initial 7:19 to give the Cavaliers an eight-point edge (21-13).
 
Montreat used hot 3-point shooting to jump out to its a huge advantage. The Cavaliers knocked down 11 of 19 attempts from deep in the initial 20 minutes, connecting on an unprecedented 57.9 percent of those shots, while making 60.0 percent of their attempts from anywhere on the court. From the midway point of the frame, the impressive display coupled with a 37-10 Cavs run over a span of 8:48, built Milligan's insurmountable deficit.
 
"I was really proud of how we prepared all week and it showed today," said head coach Garrett Jones. Jones added, "Milligan is so well coached and good at what they do, so I was proud of our guys for locking into our game plan and coming out with great energy."
 
Strong defense allowed the home team to expand its first-half lead to as many as 36 points, controlling the contest 68-32 at the intermission. Thirteen Milligan turnovers directly contributed to 21 Montreat points as the Cavaliers swarmed the Buffaloes.
 
Noah Dunn led the charge for the Cavs, making eight of his 12 shots, including 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Dunn had 24 points and five rebounds at the break. Tyler Rodrigue added additional threat on offense by utilizing the deep ball and a perfect shooting frame (4-4 FG). Rodrigue finished the first 20 minutes with 12 points.
 
In the second half, the Cavaliers cooled significantly, making only 26.8 percent (11-41 FG) of their shots; however, the teams each scored 31 points as Montreat kept its advantage to 36 at the final buzzer. The Cavs led by as many as 44 points midway through the second period and ended the afternoon with 17 made 3-point baskets.
 
Dunn concluded the contest with a game-high 26 points, while Rodrigue added 18 thanks to makes on four of his five attempts from long range. Davis and Jalen Roberson finished with 15 points apiece. Dunn and Davis grabbed 13 and 10 rebounds, respectively, as the two both notched double-doubles in the rout.
 
Jones finished, "We will enjoy this tonight, but our focus needs to quickly turn to Tennessee Wesleyan. That game will be a tremendous challenge, but I know our guys will be excited to compete."
 
Men's basketball now competes at Tennessee Wesleyan University on Tuesday. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.