MILLIGAN, Tenn.— The Montreat men's basketball team closed out its four-game road trip in Milligan, Tenn. on Saturday afternoon, leading the Milligan University Buffaloes from beginning to end en route to a 71-63 triumph. With the victory, the Cavaliers improved to 16-7 overall and 14-6 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play.
 
Montreat burst out of the gates to start Saturday's conference clash, scoring 14 of the game's first 19 points thanks to six second-chance points and two 3-pointers. Five different Cavaliers scored during the 14-5 stretch spanning 3:53.
 
Milligan (5-19, 4-17 AAC), despite holding Montreat to just 23.1 percent (3-13 3-PT FG) shooting from deep in the first half, struggled to close the gap. While the Cavaliers never built their lead out to double digits in the opening 20 minutes, their defense kept the Buffaloes at bay. By limiting Milligan to just a 30.8 percent shooting percentage (8-26 FG) in the half, the Cavs continued to hold a lead of at least two or three scores for most of the frame.
 
The Buffaloes did pull within two points with just 1:58 left in the half on their third triple of the frame, but Djongo-Alan Tchatchouang and Noah Dunn closed out the period with back-to-back two-point baskets to put Montreat ahead, 32-26.
 
While the Cavs struggled from deep in the first half, they converted on 10 of their 19 shots inside the arc (52.6 percent). Meanwhile, Milligan was able to hang around despite shooting below 31 percent because of having twice as many trips to the free throw line as Montreat (12-6). Dunn, who had two of Montreat's three 3-point makes, led the Cavs with 10 points and six rebounds in the first half.
 
After scoring the final four points of the opening frame, the Cavaliers started the second half by scoring the first nine points. Montreat grabbed its first double-digit lead on Tchatchouang free throws 1:57 into the period, and then a Tchatchouang triple and two Dunn free throws pushed the Cavalier advantage out to 41-26. Sam Brown helped grow that lead to 17 points (49-32) with a basket in the paint, and a perfect trip to the charity stripe for Jamiel Wright gave Montreat a 51-32 lead with 13:02 remaining.
 
Tyler Rodrigue buried a 3-pointer to hand Montreat its biggest lead of the game (60-39), but the Buffaloes answered with a 9-0 spurt to get back within shouting distance; however, pulling within single digits proved to be a difficult task. The Cavaliers' 3-point defense allowed just three makes on 19 tries from deep in the period (15.8 percent), and Montreat's aggression on the offensive end led to 20 free throw attempts in the second half alone.
 
The Buffaloes finally pulled within single digits (68-59) with 1:21 left in regulation, but the hill was too steep to climb. Montreat snapped its two-game losing streak and ended its four-game road trip and final road game of the regular season with a 71-63 victory.
 
"I'm proud of our group for closing out that road trip with a win," said head coach Garrett Jones. "Not too many teams in our league had to go play four games in a row on the road, and it's always a challenge to win on the road, especially in league play."
 
Montreat, which shot 41 percent from the floor in each half, ended the night 24-of-59 overall. A more efficient second half from deep also bumped the Cavaliers' 3-point shooting percentage to 31.8 (7-22 3-pt FG). The Cavs also attempted 26 total free throws on Saturday (16-26 FT, 61.5 percent). Dunn paced Montreat with 17 points and 15 rebounds, which was a career high for him on the glass. Rodrigue and Wright each tallied 13 points, and Tchatchouang joined his teammates in double figures with 11 points. Dunn and Mike Flenory each registered two assists.
 
The Buffaloes shot 34.4 percent (22-64 FG) overall and 19.4 percent (6-31 3-PT FG) from behind the arc. Milligan did get to the free throw line 20 times, making 13 (65.0 percent).
 
"We have some big challenges coming up, but I know our group is looking forward to getting back home and doing our very best to finish this regular season race strong."
 
The Cavaliers now return home for three consecutive games inside McAlister Gymnasium to conclude the regular season. The homestand starts on Monday with a 6:00 p.m. tip against Bluefield University.