ATHENS, Tenn.— The Montreat men's basketball team led for much of regulation during the squad's contest against the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs Tuesday night, but the Cavaliers came up just a little bit short as the hosts utilized overtime to remain perfect when playing in Athens, Tenn., 75-68. With the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) defeat, the Cavs dropped to 9-5 (7-4 AAC) on the season.
 
In a tightly-contested first half that featured six lead changes, including four in the opening two minutes, it was Mike Flenory who helped the Cavs set the tone early. Flenory poured in seven of the Cavs' initial 11 points as the visitors possessed a slim 3-point lead just over five minutes into the ballgame (11-8).
 
Following a sequence of play in which neither side found a strong groove on the offensive end of the floor, Jarden Maze started to leave his imprint on the contest. The Sandersville, Ga. native scored nine of Montreat's final 11 points in the initial half, and his jumper with 43 seconds remaining in the frame handed the Cavaliers their first multi-possession edge of the night (29-24); however, a late Bulldog bucket shaved the visitors' lead back to three points at 29-26 entering the break.
 
Both squads struggled from the field through 20 minutes of action, with the Cavs shooting 35.5 percent overall (11-31 FG) and 2-of-13 (15.4 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Tennessee Wesleyan connected on 10 of its 33 looks from the field (30.3 percent) and 23.1 percent of its 3-point attempts (3-13 3-pt FG). The Cavaliers made all five of their tries from the free throw line, and the Bulldogs held a 26-19 rebounding advantage thanks to nine offensive boards. Maze led all scorers at the intermission with 11 points, and Jamiel Wright paced Montreat with four rebounds and two assists.
 
Maze picked up right where he left off at the end of the initial half by registering two and-one sequences to seize the game's first and only double-digit lead of the night, 36-26. Despite the sudden surge, the Bulldogs regrouped with a game-changing timeout 2:17 into the frame.
 
Tennessee Wesleyan (9-2, 8-2 AAC), aided in part by three Montreat turnovers, propelled itself with an 11-2 run over 1:47 to pull within a point at 38-37. The Bulldogs then managed to tie the contest at 41 and 43, but Maze and Wright did all they could to fend off the home team's advances. Wright buried a 3-pointer with 8:51 remaining in regulation to put the Cavs up 52-45, as both he and Maze combined for 20 of the Cavaliers' first 23 points in the half.
 
With time winding down, the Bulldogs remained calm and kept chipping away at their deficit. Then, with just 2:08 left, TWU nailed a shot from behind the arc to grab a 59-58 lead, its first advantage on the scoreboard since the 9:58 mark in the first half (15-13). Only an Elochukwu Eze free throw and a Wright layup in traffic with 16 seconds remaining could eliminate the Bulldogs' slim edge and force overtime.
 
Overtime proved to favor the home side as Tennessee Wesleyan, which never led by more than two points during regulation, cashed in on two early 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to move in front by six points (69-63). From there, the Bulldogs made their looks at the charity stripe and they closed out the Cavs, 75-68, improving to 6-0 at home in the process. Tuesday marked the Cavaliers' second road defeat of the season (5-2).
 
Thanks to a strong close to the ballgame, Tennessee Wesleyan ended the night with slight edges on Montreat in shooting. The Bulldogs made 36.2 percent of their shots (25-69 FG) compared to the Cavs' 24-for-70 (34.3 percent) effort. TWU also shot better from 3-point range (22.6 percent vs. 17.2 percent) and at the free-throw line (72.0 percent vs. 60.0 percent). While the Cavaliers owned a slim advantage over the Bulldogs in turnovers forced (18-16), the hosts racked up 50 rebounds and 11 assists versus the visitors' 44 rebounds and four assists.
 
Maze led all scorers with 29 points, his highest output as a Cavalier. Wright contributed 14 points, six rebounds and a team-high three assists. Flenory hauled in a team-best seven boards, while Tyler Murray notched a game-high mark of four steals.
 
The Montreat men's basketball team remains on the road this Saturday for its next AAC matchup against Columbia International University. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. in Columbia, S.C.