MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat women's basketball team suffered its first defeat of the Josh Thompson era Thursday night as its late rally came up just a little bit short against the reigning Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) regular-season champions, the Bryan College Lions. With the 76-70 defeat inside McAlister Gymnasium, the Cavaliers fell to 5-1 (4-1 AAC).
 
Bryan (4-2, 3-1 AAC) established itself on the glass early, hauling in four offensive rebounds in just 3:09; however, despite those second-chance opportunities, the two teams found themselves tied at 4-4 thanks to a fastbreak layup from Makayla Thompson and a pair of free throws by Adrianna Gullette.
 
Midway through the opening quarter, the Lions started to create separation. Over 4:47, Bryan utilized a 13-3 run to take the game's first double-digit lead at 17-7. Gullette and Virginia Edmondson drilled a couple of shots from behind the arc over the latter half of the first frame, but the Cavs as a whole connected on just three of their 14 looks from the field (21.4 percent). Coupled with a 14-6 rebounding edge for the visitors, Montreat trailed Bryan by seven points (17-10) after 10 minutes of action.
 
Montreat ratcheted up its defensive intensity to start the second quarter, forcing three turnovers early in the frame. Those turnovers created extra opportunities for the Cavaliers, including a few chances in transition. A pair of Mariya Williams' baskets bookended an Aebri Graham free throw and another Edmondson 3-pointer as the Montreat deficit was swiftly cut to 20-18 four minutes into the period.
 
Bryan controlled the latter portion of the second quarter by attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. The Lions scored five consecutive points at the charity stripe to jump in front of the Cavs by seven points (27-20), and only a pair of Williams' baskets kept the hosts within single digits entering the half (32-24).
 
Neither team shot particularly better than the other in the initial half of play, as the Lions hit 10 of their 29 looks from the field (34.5 percent) while the Cavaliers made nine of their 28 shot attempts (32.1 percent). Bryan entered the intermission with an 8-point edge thanks in large part to a perfect 8-for-8 showing at the line and a 25-13 rebounding advantage that included nine offensive boards. Edmondson paced Montreat in the first half with eight points. Williams added six points to go along with four boards, surpassing the 500-rebound mark for her career in the process (501).
 
For the first time this season, the Cavaliers did not outscore their opposition in the third quarter. In a high-scoring frame, both Montreat and Bryan managed to pour in 24 points from the floor. From 7:51 to 5:01 on the clock, the two teams combined to score on eight consecutive possessions. Williams (9), Edmondson (6) and Thompson (6) were responsible for 21 of the Cavs' 24 points in the quarter as the hosts trailed entering the fourth for the first time in six games (56-48).
 
The Lions took their largest lead of the night, 60-48, less than 100 seconds into the final frame. As Bryan appeared poised to pull away, that's when the Cavaliers started cooking from deep. Montreat's next five made baskets all came from behind the arc, and the trio of Gullette, Thompson and Graham buried three consecutive 3-point baskets to suddenly pull within three points of the Lions with less four minutes remaining in regulation (64-61); however, Bryan hit its fair share of triples on the night, too. A made 3-pointer on its next possession sparked a swift 7-0 run over 1:51 to move back in front by double digits (74-64). Two BC free throws and two more long-range Montreat buckets during the final minute saw the Cavs narrowly suffer their first defeat of the season, 76-70.
 
"We learned a lot about ourselves tonight; we fought hard and didn't give up," said head coach Josh Thompson. "We will bounce back and get better from this. Bryan played really well and made a lot of big shots when it needed it."
 
Montreat ended the night with slight edges over the Lions in overall shooting percentage (43.9 percent-41.1 percent) and 3-point shooting percentage (42.9 percent-35.7 percent). The Cavaliers also notched fewer turnovers (16-13), more bench points (21-5) and more points in the paint (26-22); however, the Lions turned the game in their favor with a 41-30 rebounding advantage and 12 more made free throws (20-8).
 
Edmondson led the Cavs with 21 points and converted on five of her 11 3-point attempts. Meanwhile, Thompson poured in 19 points and Williams contributed 15 points. Williams also grabbed eight rebounds, and Gullette dished out four assists.
 
The Montreat women's basketball team heads to Grayson, Ky. on Tuesday for its final contest prior to Thanksgiving. Tipoff against the Kentucky Christian University Knights is set for 4:30 p.m.