WALESKA, Ga.— The Montreat men's basketball team visited Waleska, Ga. for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) showdown with the Reinhardt University Eagles Tuesday night. While the Cavaliers kept the ballgame close early into the second half, shooting woes plagued the visitors down the stretch as the Eagles claimed the conference victory, 78-59. With the defeat, the Cavs fell to 4-4 (3-3 AAC).
 
Montreat started off the contest with a 3-point basket, but it was Reinhardt who controlled the opening eight minutes of play. The Cavaliers struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive end of the floor, connecting on just three of its initial 16 shot attempts (18.6 percent). Meanwhile, quality ball movement aided the Eagles as they found and made several good looks from the field. RU assisted on five of its first eight makes overall as the hosts shot 8-for-15 (53.3 percent) en route to a 20-12 advantage through 7:46.
 
After struggling from the floor early, the Cavs shifted their mindset and started to attack the basket. By getting both in the paint and on the offensive glass, Montreat utilized a 9-2 run to quickly trim its deficit down to a mere two points, 25-23.
 
Reinhardt (4-6, 4-4 AAC) answered the Cavaliers' run with a 13-4 spurt of its own, seizing its largest lead of the half in the process (38-29); however, with a better flow on offense, an Elochukwu Eze free throw and two late jumpers from Tyler Murray and Jamiel Wright, Montreat whittled the gap to 38-34 entering the halftime break.
 
The Eagles shot better than the Cavs from the field (39.4 percent to 32.5 percent), from behind the arc (33.3 percent to 16.7 percent) and from the charity stripe (77.8 percent to 71.4 percent) in the first half. Despite the shooting gap, eight offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points helped Montreat stay within a few possessions of the home team at the intermission. Eight different Cavaliers scored during the initial half, with Wright's nine points leading the way. Wright and Jarden Maze tied for the half-high with five boards each.
 
Montreat probed the paint and found success at the rim in the second half's opening minutes as Darius Bryant, Mike Flenory and Tyler Rodrigue converted in the paint to level the score at 40; however, moments later the Eagles took over thanks to high-octane defense.
 
After seeing its lead disappear, Reinhardt reached another level on the defensive end of the floor. The Eagles held the Cavaliers to just 1-for-15 shooting with five turnovers following Rodrigue's game-tying bucket, and the hosts didn't allow a basket during a seven-minute stretch as they went on a 21-3 run to flip the ballgame in their favor (61-43). RU ultimately built out its lead to as large as 23 (73-50).
 
Maze, Flenory and Wright poured in the final nine Cavalier points, but the deficit couldn't be overcome as Montreat fell on the road, 78-59. Tuesday marked just the second time this season in which the Cavs scored fewer than 60 points—Montreat is now 1-1 in such contests.
 
"We have struggled to shoot the ball this season, and tonight the woes continued," said head coach Anthony Barringer. "I thought we guarded really well, we just struggled to make shots. We had good looks; they just weren't going in the basket. Even with that adversity, our guys battled as they always do, and I am pleased with that."
 
Following a 25.8-percent second-half showing from the floor, the Cavaliers shot just 29.6 percent (21-71 FG) on the night. Montreat also went 3-for-29 (10.3 percent) from 3-point range and 14-of-23 (60.9 percent) at the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Eagles connected on 41.7 percent of their overall looks from the field (25-60 FG), 35.7 percent of their takes from behind the arc (10-28 3-pt FG) and 81.8 percent of their free-throw attempts (18-22 FT). RU also owned noticeable advantages in blocks (9-0) and assists (16-7).
 
Maze recorded a team-high 14 points and eight rebounds, while Wright contributed 12 points and seven boards. Seven different Cavaliers tallied an assist.
 
The Montreat men's basketball team remains on the road for its next AAC matchup this Saturday at Johnson University (Tenn.). Tipoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. in Knoxville, Tenn.