MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat men's basketball team opened Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play with a competition against the Union College Bulldogs inside McAlister Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. Though the Cavaliers fought until the final buzzer, Union notched a tight 94-92 victory in the offensive showdown, dropping Montreat to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in AAC action.
 
The Bulldogs (2-0, 1-0 AAC) began the contest on fire from deep, connecting on five of their first nine 3-point attempts of the afternoon. Mike Flenory and Collin Mills combatted the hot start by pouring in nine and eight points, respectively; however, the hosts trailed 23-20 seven minutes into the matchup.
 
The deficit fluctuated between two and seven points for the remainder of the initial period, until a 3-point bucket by Tyler Murray pulled the Cavaliers within one (47-46) on the home team's final possession of the first frame.
 
Montreat's defense kept Union in check for the latter portion of the first half, forcing a stretch where the visitors missed nine consecutive shots and made only one of 11 field goals, but offensive rebounding and free throw conversions allowed UC to maintain its slim edge.
 
 The Cavaliers held a slight advantage in field goal percentage (44.4 percent; 16-36 FG) over the Bulldogs (40.0 percent; 14-35 FG), but Union led in rebounds (24-22), assists (9-5) and free throw makes (12-8). Mills captained all players with 17 first-half points, while five Cavaliers recorded at least three rebounds, led by Murray, who had four.
 
Montreat got off to a swift start in the second period, immediately taking the lead on a Gabriel Rivera layup 16 seconds into the frame. That layup fueled a 13-2 run to open the half as Tyler Rodrigue buried a trio of triples within a span of 1:43 before Elochukwu Eze gave the Cavs a 59-49 advantage with 16:35 to go.
 
Union then began chipping away at its deficit over the next three minutes, eventually evening the contest at 64. In the back-and-forth half, the Bulldogs toppled the score into their favor with six minutes remaining in regulation. Though the visitors were held to one field goal make over the final 4:52 (1-12 FG), Union's only basket gave it an 89-84 lead with a 1:20 left in the competition, and the Bulldogs sealed the triumph at the free throw line despite a couple more baskets from Mills and a 3-pointer by Rivera that cut the deficit to one (93-92) with seven seconds on the clock.
 
Numbers were eerily similar on both sides, with Montreat (35-77 FG) and Union (30-66 FG) each shooting 45.5 percent. The Bulldogs edged the Cavaliers in 3-point percentage (35.7-35.3), but the visitors went 24-for-35 at the line compared to the Cavs' 10-of-16. Thanks to a stronger second half on the glass, Montreat won the rebound battle overall, 43-42, and 13-12 on the offensive glass.
 
"What a game," noted head coach Anthony Barringer. "The atmosphere was awesome, and our guys left it all out on the floor. I'm very proud of the fight in those young men."
 
Mills scored a game-high 32 points, while Flenory registered a career-best 23 points to go with his five rebounds and team-high six assists. Rodrigue finished as the other Cavalier in double-digits in scoring with 12 points, and Murray led the team with nine boards.
 
"We let one slip today, but I'm seeing progress every day. [We were] a few stops and a few baskets from a different outcome. We are focused on the process and will take another step on Tuesday when we play St. Andrews," added Barringer.
 
Men's basketball continues its slate of conference contests with a matchup against the St. Andrews University Knights on Tuesday. Tipoff in McAlister Gymnasium is slated for 7:30 p.m.