WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.— Making his competitive debut as the head coach of the Montreat women's basketball team, head coach Josh Thompson got his first win quickly out of the way. The Cavs played solid defense across 40 minutes in their season opener against the Carolina University Bruins, taking the non-conference contest in Winston-Salem, N.C. by a 53-47 score. With the win, the Cavaliers moved to 1-0.
 
Forcing 11 turnovers across the first two quarters of action, the Montreat defense set the tone early. Offensively, a pair of Mariya Williams free throws and a 2-point bucket gave the Cavs a slight 4-2 edge midway through the initial period. While Carolina made a run to take a brief 8-5 lead over Montreat, Williams and the Cavs responded immediately out of a timeout, utilizing a 7-2 spurt to jump back in front by a bucket (12-10). Despite a 6-point quarter from Williams, a late Bruins basket knotted the score at 12 after 10 minutes of play.
 
Carolina (0-1) took advantage of some Montreat free-throw woes in the second frame. The visitors got to the line 12 times in the quarter but connected on just three of those attempts, allowing the hosts to seize an 18-16 lead; however, Williams helped make up for those early deficiencies by being active in the paint. A 5-0 Williams' spurt late in the quarter helped propel the Cavs out to a 23-20 halftime lead over the Bruins.
 
Both teams struggled from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. The Bruins converted on 37.5 percent of its looks from the field (9-24 FG), went 0-for-4 from behind the arc and made just two of its six attempts at the charity stripe. On the other side, the Cavaliers connected on 23.5 percent of its shots (8-34 FG), hit one of 11 3-pointers and went 6-for-16 at the free throw line (37.5 percent). An 11-point, 11-rebound first-half performance from Williams significantly helped Montreat as it entered the intermission with a three-point lead.
 
Defense sparked the Montreat offense in the third quarter also as Williams scored the first of her three third-quarter buckets by poking the ball loose and going coast-to-coast on Carolina's opening possession. Newcomer Makayla Thompson joined Williams with multiple made baskets in the third, and three other Cavaliers hit exactly one field goal in the quarter to help turn a 3-point halftime lead into a 9-point margin entering the fourth (39-30).
 
Montreat seized its first double-digit lead of the night midway through the fourth as freshman Sydney Clevenger drilled her first triple as a Cavalier to expand the lead out to 45-34. The Bruins made a late surge to test the Cavs, but the hosts could never get closer than five points thanks to a trio of Vaniyah Petty 2-point shots and late free throws from Thompson. Playing its first game under its new head coach, Montreat sealed the ballgame and delivered a 53-47 road win.
 
"I was very proud of our effort on the defensive end of the floor," Thompson said following the victory. "I thought we played hard and handled adversity well throughout the game."
 
Neither side shot at high clip from the field, as the Bruins narrowly edged out the Cavaliers by making 17 of their 51 attempts (33.3 percent) compared to Montreat's 32.3-percent showing (20-62 FG). The Cavs converted on four of their 20 looks from deep (4-20 3-PT FG), while the hosts went 3-for-16 from 3-point range (18.8 percent). Montreat made nine of its 21 free throws, and Carolina connected of 55.6 percent of its takes at the charity stripe (10-18 FT). The Cavaliers significantly outrebounded their counterpart, 44-32, thanks to 20 offensive boards.
 
A native of Charlotte, N.C., Williams led all athletes with a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double. Thompson joined Williams in double-figures in scoring by contributing 14 points, while also dishing out a team-high three assists. Petty added seven points and seven rebounds as 10 different Cavaliers scored Tuesday night.
 
The Montreat women's basketball team takes on Union College in its next contest this Saturday for its Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) and home opener. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. inside McAlister Gym.