WALESKA, Ga.— The Montreat men's basketball team failed to find an offensive rhythm on Wednesday night in its first Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest since Thanksgiving. The Cavaliers dropped an 80-64 decision at the Reinhardt University Eagles and fell to 4-3 (3-3 AAC) this season.
 
Both teams seemed discombobulated on the offensive end of the floor through the contest's opening minutes, combining to shoot just 3-for-10 from the field. The Eagles held a slim 5-3 edge on the scoreboard after both teams called early timeouts.
 
Reinhardt (6-5, 4-3 AAC) found its shooting stroke shortly after those early breaks, burying three triples to jump out to an 11-5 advantage five minutes into the game. The Eagles would go on to drill nine 3-point field goals over the course of the first half.
 
Meanwhile, Montreat struggled to find its offensive touch in the opening frame. The fifth-highest scoring offense in the NAIA, averaging 94.2 points per outing entering the evening, failed to find a consistent rhythm with the basketball in its hands. The Cavs shot just 23.1 percent (6-26 FG) from the floor in the first half, coupled with 13 turnovers that led to 17 RU points. On the flip side, the Cavaliers turned nine Reinhardt turnovers into just one point. Thanks to those 13 turnovers, nine made triples and a 50 percent (16-32 FG) first half shooting performance, the Eagles soared into halftime with a 42-22 lead. JaJa Davis was directly responsible for eight of Montreat's 22 first-half points.
 
"Credit to Reinhardt, they outcoached us and outplayed us from the start, and we never were able to gain any kind of positive momentum," said head coach Garrett Jones.
 
As prolific as the Montreat offense typically is, the Cavaliers had to work their way out of the early offensive funk. The Cavs found quick, good looks and started to convert, nailing seven of its first 12 shots from the floor in the second half; however, while the Montreat offense found its groove, the Eagles never lost theirs. Reinhardt shot 45 percent from behind the arc in the first half, and through 7:30 of the second frame, it improved on that percentage as it connected on six of its 10 3-point attempts. The three-point barrage saw the Eagles build their edge out to as large as 26 points (64-38).
 
Evan Davis and Noah Dunn put together a mini run to help the Cavaliers close the gap, but Reinhardt's defensive presence and efficient perimeter shooting prevented Montreat from getting any closer than 16 points, something it managed to do just twice in the second half. Up six possessions or more for a large chunk of the frame, the Eagles were able to close out the Cavaliers, 80-64. The 64-point outing marked the first occasion in which the Cavaliers failed to score at least 70 points in a single game since March 11, 2020, an 85-67 loss to Southern Oregon in the first round of the NAIA Men's Basketball Championship.
 
Coach Jones noted, "We will need to bounce back quickly with a good Kentucky Christian team coming in on Saturday. I know our guys are excited to be back home and compete in front of our Cavalier fans."
 
Montreat made 24 of its 62 total shot attempts (38.7 percent), including five of its 19 3-pointers (26.3 percent), on Wednesday night. The Cavaliers committed 21 turnovers on the evening resulting in 23 points for the Reinhardt Eagles. JaJa Davis led the Cavalier scoring and rebounding efforts with 14 points and nine boards, falling just shy of his fifth double-double on the year. Dunn, Mike Flenory and Evan Davis all reached double figures in scoring with 11 points. Dunn also tallied a team-high three assists.
 
Montreat men's basketball returns to McAlister Gymnasium on Saturday for its first home contest since Nov. 13. Tipoff against Kentucky Christian University is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.