MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat men's basketball team nearly forced overtime against the Bryan College Lions inside McAlister Gymnasium Tuesday night, but the potential game-tying basket didn't fall as the hosts dropped the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest, 80-78. Following the defeat, the Cavaliers slid to 2-3 (2-2 AAC) on the season.
 
In a half in which the Cavaliers attempted 27 3-pointers, the hosts managed to connect on several of their early looks. Collin Mills, Jamiel Wright and Tyler Rodrigue each hit a triple in the opening 5:12, and Elochukwu Eze added four points of his own to help the Cavs seize a 13-5 lead right out of the gate. Defensively, Montreat held Bryan to just 2-of-8 shooting during the opening minutes of action.
 
Mike Flenory kept the momentum with the Cavaliers on a fastbreak dunk, and Gabriel Rivera scored the next seven Montreat points as the home team claimed a 22-11 edge midway through the half; however, Bryan ramped up its efficiency on the offensive end of the floor in the latter half of the initial frame, and it aided the Lions as they surged ahead of Montreat on the scoreboard.
 
The Cavaliers led 26-15 with 8:58 remaining in the period, but an 18-3 Bryan run over 6:20 completely flipped the script. Montreat shot 1-of-12 from the field during the span as the Lions jumped ahead of the Cavs, 33-29. A Chris Moore basket in the paint momentarily slowed the run, but Bryan scored on its next two possessions to build a 38-31 advantage with 1:25 left in the half. The visitors scored on 11 of their 15 possessions during what ultimately became a 23-5 Bryan stretch.
 
Like he did against St. Andrews on Nov. 8, Djongo-Alan Tchatchouang provided a spark off the bench. Tchatchouang rattled off a pair of free throws and two triples to end the half, bringing Montreat within two points of the Lions at the break (41-39).
 
Bryan shot significantly better than the Cavaliers in the opening period, connecting on 51.4 percent of its shots (18-35 FG) compared to the Cavs' 33.3-percent showing (14-42 FG). Montreat made up for its shooting percentage gap by hauling in 12 offensive rebounds and recording 11 second-chance points, a significant factor in the hosts' seven additional shot attempts. Ten different Cavs scored prior to the intermission, with Tchatchouang (8) and Rivera (7) pacing the home team.
 
As it did to start the contest, Montreat got off to a quick start in the second half. The home side knocked down four of its first six looks from the field as Mills fired off seven points and Flenory added an old-fashioned 3-point play to take a 50-47 lead 3:16 into the frame. A handful of minutes later, Michael Erbeck nailed a triple that put the Cavaliers in front by three scores (63-56); however, the Lions stuck to their gameplan and recreated much of the previous half's success.
 
Bryan (3-4, 3-1 AAC) played arguably its best stretch of defense midway through the second frame, and it allowed the visitors to reclaim the lead. The Lions took their 7-point deficit and turned it into a 68-64 lead thanks to a 12-1 run during a 6-minute stretch in which the Cavs failed to make a field goal. Moore ended the field-goal drought with a layup, but Bryan immediately answered with a triple and a 2-point bucket. Ultimately, BC changed the game's complexion with a 17-3 run across 7:12.
 
Montreat made a late push and nearly forced overtime. Wright and Rivera converted on back-to-back fastbreak buckets to pull the Cavs within 77-75 with 1:17 remaining. Then, following a Bryan layup, Rodrigue hit his fourth 3-pointer of the night to make the gap just a single point (79-78). The Lions made one of two free throws late, but a turnover gave Montreat the basketball with less than 10 seconds left, trailing 80-78. Unfortunately for Cav fans, the potential game-tying shot attempt from inside the paint didn't drop, and the Lions came away with the 2-point victory.
 
"We let one slip tonight," said head coach Anthony Barringer. "I thought we came out with great energy early, but when they went on their run, we never recovered. We hang our hat on the defensive side of the ball, and we weren't good on that end tonight."
 
The Lions made 46.4 percent (32-69 FG) of their shot attempts on the night, including 10 of their 29 3-point field goal takes (34.9 percent). On the other side, Montreat went 29-for-76 from the field (38.2 percent) and hit 29.2 percent of its 3-pointers (14-48 3pt FG). The Cavaliers took 13 more 3-point shots than 2-point looks and free throw attempts combined (48-35).
 
Rodrigue (14), Rivera (12) and Mills (11) all scored in double figures for Montreat, while Wright (5), Mills (3) and Flenory (3) handed out multiple assists. Rodrigue narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds, and Wright added six boards.
 
The Montreat men's basketball team hosts Brevard College in a non-conference matchup this Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. inside McAlister Gymnasium.