GRAYSON, Ky.— In a rematch of last season's Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament first-round matchup between the Montreat College women's basketball team and the Kentucky Christian University Knights, it was the Cavaliers who exacted their revenge Tuesday afternoon in Grayson, Ky. Behind an impressive defensive effort and a big fourth quarter, the Cavs toppled the Knights, 69-59, and moved into second place in the AAC standings with their 6-1 (5-1 AAC) record.
Adrianna Gullette and
Virginia Edmondson powered the Cavalier offense in the contest's early going to help offset nine points from the Knights. Gullette scored the first five Montreat points, while Edmondson tallied the next four points to level the contest at nine nearly six minutes into the game. A
Makayla Thompson free throw and a
Ja'Liah Wilson bucket capped off a 7-0 run that put the Cavs up 12-9 with just two minutes left in the frame, but Kentucky Christian scored five of the final seven points in the quarter and utilized a buzzer-beating jumper to knot the matchup at 14 through one period of action.
Both teams struggled with turnovers and shooting to start the second quarter as the frame remained scoreless for the initial three minutes. Two Edmondson free throws broke the scoring drought after 3:20, but the Cavaliers didn't make their first shot until
Aebri Graham drilled a transition 3-pointer with just over three minutes remaining in the half. The Knights used Montreat's rough shooting stretch to build their largest lead of the half (28-23), but Gullette and Thompson trimmed the deficit to just a single point, 28-27, entering the break.
Gullette (nine points) and Edmondson (eight points) paved the way for the Montreat offense prior to the intermission, while Thompson, Graham,
Mariya Williams and Wilson each registered one made basket.
The Cavaliers started the second half in an offensive rhythm, making two 3-pointers and a pair of long-range jumpers; however, the Knights also found a rhythm on the offensive end of the floor by getting to the basket and drawing fouls. Kentucky Christian (5-2, 4-2 AAC) went 9-for-10 at the charity stripe in the third quarter alone, and those easy looks at the free throw line aided KCU as it claimed a 46-44 lead entering the final quarter of action.
Despite being outscored in the third quarter for the first time this season (18-17), the Cavs proved undeterred. Montreat ratcheted up its defensive effort in the final frame, which led to numerous fastbreak looks from the field. Edmondson made consecutive buckets to put the Cavs ahead late, 59-55, and Thompson nailed a wide-open triple at the top of the key with only a minute remaining to move the Cavaliers in front by five points (62-57). Seven free throws down the stretch helped Montreat seal its sixth win of the season as the Cavs defeated the Knights in Grayson, Ky., 69-59.
"This game was a real battle," said head coach
Josh Thompson. "I thought our team played through some tough adversity and fought hard in the second half. KCU played hard too—they're a very good team."
Gullette poured in a career-high 20 points to lead the Cavaliers, while Edmondson (15) and Thompson (14) joined her in double figures in scoring. Williams nearly joined her trio of teammates with a 9-point effort on the afternoon.
The Montreat women's basketball team now enters Thanksgiving with a week-long break from competition but returns to action on Nov. 30 at Reinhardt University. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. in Waleska, Ga.
