KINGSPORT, Tenn.— On Thursday afternoon, the No. 2-seeded Montreat men's basketball team needed all 40 minutes to defeat the No. 7-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs in the quarterfinal round of the AAC Tournament, 78-74. The four-point victory in Kingsport, Tenn. moved the Cavaliers to 20-8 (17-7 AAC) on the season and into the semifinal round of the tournament.
 
Tennessee Wesleyan (18-12, 14-10 AAC) started off on the front foot, hitting five of their first seven looks from the floor and scoring 14 of the game's first 18 points. Despite the early hole, the Cavaliers managed to chip away at the deficit until it was completely erased.
 
The Cavaliers didn't hit their first 3-pointer until the 9:45 mark of the half. Jamiel Wright, who led all Cavaliers with three assists in the first half, relied on his own shooting stroke to get the Cavaliers going from deep.
 
With the Bulldogs up 25-18, the Cavs started cooking. Tyler Rodrigue drilled his first triple of the afternoon to pull Montreat within four points, and after a Wright layup, Rodrigue nailed another 3-pointer to give the Cavaliers their first lead of the day. A Noah Dunn basket from deep completed an 11-0 Cavalier run in just 1:26.
 
The Cavaliers and Bulldogs traded mini runs over the final few minutes of the half, with a Jaylan Shelton bucket being the difference as Montreat entered intermission with a 33-32 lead.
 
Neither side found extended stretches of consistency on the offensive end of the floor in the opening half, with both teams committing six turnovers. Both Montreat and Tennessee Wesleyan made 12 shots from the field, but the Cavaliers did so on two fewer attempts (34-32). Montreat made two more 3-pointers than TWU (4-2), but the Bulldogs grabbed two more offensive boards.
 
Dunn led the Cavs with nine points and four rebounds, while Wright contributed seven points through 20 minutes of play.
 
JaJa Davis, who last played for the Cavaliers on Jan. 26 in a 96-90 win at Bluefield University, saw his first action to start the second half and immediately made an impact. Davis scored the first two baskets for Montreat, and Eli Idlett added a tip-in to suddenly push the Cavaliers ahead by seven.
 
A few minutes later, a Dunn layup gave the Cavs their first double-digit lead of the game (48-38); however, Tennessee Wesleyan never went away as the Bulldogs utilized a 9-2 stretch to get back within three points at the 12:36 mark.
 
The Bulldogs kept within shouting distance, but for nearly the entire second half, the Cavaliers just wouldn't let the Bulldogs move ahead. Idlett and Dunn immediately re-established a comfortable Montreat lead, putting the Cavs up by eight points (57-49). The lead then expanded to its largest of the game, 65-54 with 6:27 remaining, thanks to a Davis basket.
 
Just when it seemed like the Cavaliers were in position to close out the game, the Bulldogs made one last surge. With only 2:37 remaining and trailing 73-64, Tennessee Wesleyan changed the complexion of the game. A 10-0 run over 96 seconds, thanks in large part to three consecutive Montreat turnovers late, pushed the Bulldogs ahead for the first time since 25-23 in the first half.
 
Despite the sudden turnaround, Montreat's experience came in handy late. A Davis jumper gave the Cavs a 75-74 lead with 44 seconds left in regulation, and a Wright steal kickstarted a fastbreak 3-pointer for Rodrigue at the 14-second mark. Tennessee Wesleyan had the lead for just 17 seconds as the Cavs made clutch plays in the final minute to grit out a 78-74 win and advance to the AAC semifinals. The victory also gave Montreat its fourth 20-win season in seven years under head coach Garrett Jones.
 
"What a great team win," Jones stated. "Tennessee Wesleyan is so well-coached and talented. It wasn't the start we wanted, but the guys did a great job of playing through some adversity and staying the course."
 
Dunn paced Montreat in both scoring (19 points) and rebounding (nine rebounds), and he also handed out four assists. Davis made a major impact off the bench, recording all 15 of his points and all six of his rebounds in the second half. Rodrigue joined Dunn and Davis in double figures in scoring with 15 points, while Wright and Shelton each tallied five helpers.
 
Montreat shot 59 percent in the second half, significantly boosting its overall shooting percentage on the afternoon to 47.5 percent (29-61 FG). On the other side, TWU made just 26 of its 69 looks from the field (37.7 percent). Both teams struggled to connect from deep, with the Cavs making just 28.0 percent (7-25 3-PT FG) and the Bulldogs converting just 20.7 percent (6-29 3-PT FG). Montreat committed 15 turnovers but managed to translate 10 Tennessee Wesleyan turnovers into 16 points.
 
Jones added, "Win or lose, this group has continued to battle this year. I'm extremely proud of them for that."
 
The Montreat men's basketball team will now face the winner of Reinhardt and CIU in Friday's semifinal round of the AAC Tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in Kingsport, Tenn.