KINGSPORT, Tenn.— The Montreat men's basketball team booked its spot in both the championship round of the AAC Tournament and the opening round of the NAIA Men's Basketball Championship with a 79-71 victory over the No. 6-seeded Columbia International Rams on Friday afternoon. The Cavaliers defeated CIU in conference semifinals in Kingsport, Tenn., improving their season record to 21-8 (17-7 AAC) in the process.
 
Both teams flexed their muscles on the offensive end of the floor in the opening half, shooting high percentages throughout as they exchanged leads. JaJa Davis knocked down two free throws to open the scoring on Friday, but the Rams rattled off an 8-0 run thanks to three consecutive makes. The Cavaliers then responded with a spurt that included two more Davis free throws and the first of four Noah Dunn first-half 3-pointers, putting Montreat ahead 13-11 just over four minutes in.
 
The Rams made 10 of their 14 first shots from the floor (71.4 percent), but despite the high percentage, it was the Cavaliers transforming CIU turnovers into points that gave Montreat the largest lead for either side in the opening half. Five Columbia International turnovers over 10 minutes allowed Tyler Rodrigue, Djongo-Alan Tchatchouang and Jaylan Shelton to score some of their first points and launch the Cavs ahead by nine (24-15).
 
Columbia International (20-12, 14-10 AAC) managed to stabilize their turnover issue over the latter portion of the second half, and their hot-shooting continued. The Rams shot an impressive 57.7 percent (15-26 FG) in the first half, which included makes on six of their 13 3-point looks (46.2 percent). That elite shooting performance helped the Rams close the gap to just 43-41 at the halftime break.
 
Montreat, not to be outdone, also converted at a high level in the half, going 16-29 (55.2 percent) from the field and making 50.0 percent (6-12 3-PT FG) of its 3-point attempts. Both teams went 5-6 at the free throw line, but the 9-2 points off turnovers advantage gave the Cavs the slim halftime lead.
 
Dunn led all Cavaliers with 16 points and four rebounds in the opening frame, while Davis nearly joined him in double figures with eight points.
 
Second-chance points, points off turnovers and free throws buoyed Columbia International through the opening minutes of the second half. Despite starting the frame 4-of-15 from the field, the Rams took advantage of the free points and opportunities to grab their first lead of the period at 52-51. The Rams would grow that slim edge to 56-54 with some more free throws at the 10:17 mark of the period.
 
In another tight Montreat-CIU matchup, Mike Flenory and Tyler Rodrigue changed the entire complexion of the game. In under three minutes, Flenory bookended two Rodrigue 3-pointers, sparking a 12-2 Cavalier run and vaulting Montreat in front, 66-57 with 7:06 remaining in regulation. A Dunn layup and more Davis free throws gave the Cavs their largest lead of the game, 70-58, at the 5:16 mark.
 
CIU found a few quick buckets late, but a dagger 3-pointer from Rodrigue put Montreat back in front by nine (77-68) with 1:04 left. Flenory free throws iced the contest from there, and the Cavaliers advanced to the championship round of the AAC Tournament with a 79-71 win.
 
"I am extremely proud of this group for finding a way to win that game," said head coach Garrett Jones. "CIU is so good at what they do, and Tony [Stockman] does an incredible job."
 
Davis, who went a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line, led the Cavaliers with 19 points. Dunn wasn't far behind Davis, scoring 18 points and pacing Montreat with eight rebounds and three assists. Flenory ended the day with 14 points, and Rodrigue contributed 11. All eight Cavaliers who saw minutes scored a basket on Friday.
 
Montreat made life difficult for CIU on offense in the latter frame, holding the Rams to 10-33 shooting in the second half and 42.4 percent (25-59 FG) for the day. The Rams went just 6-19 from behind the arc and made 15 of their 23 free throw attempts.
 
The Cavaliers shot over 50.0 percent in both halves of the contest, shooting efficiently from everywhere on the floor. Montreat hit on 27 of its 50 total looks from the field (54.0 percent), 13 of its 22 3-point shots (59.1 percent) and 12 of its 14 takes at the charity stripe (85.7 percent). The Cavs also ended the night with a 15-7 edge in bench points.
 
Awaiting the Cavaliers in the AAC championship game are the Union College Bulldogs. Because Union won the AAC regular season title and cannot claim both the regular season and tournament bids to the NAIA Men's Basketball Championship next month, the Cavaliers are headed to the national tournament. Montreat will either receive the tournament bid by defeating Union on Saturday, or it will receive the regular season bid as the AAC's second-place finisher.
 
"Goal No. 1 every year is to find a way to the national tournament, so I'm proud of our group for accomplishing that, but we have a great opportunity ahead of us tomorrow," Jones noted. "Union is playing great basketball here down the stretch, and it will be a huge challenge, but I know our group is looking forward to it."
 
Tipoff for Saturday's AAC championship game in Kingsport, Tenn. is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.