DAYTON, Tenn.— The Montreat women's basketball team faced the Bryan College Lions, a team receiving votes in the NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, Tuesday night in Dayton, Tenn. Despite a valiant effort, the Cavaliers fell on the short end of a 60-51 scoreline in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) action. As a result, the Cavs' record moved to 14-7 (12-7 AAC) this season.
 
Montreat opened the contest with an early 7-3 lead thanks to a quick start from Makayla Thompson. The senior from Springfield, Mass. finished a driving layup and sank an open 3-pointer to put the Cavaliers ahead of the Lions early. Adrianna Gullette added a jumper moments later to seize the 4-point edge just 2:20 into the contest; however, Bryan's 3-point shooting and defense created issues for the visitors during the remainder of the initial quarter. The Lions hit three triples in the frame and held the Cavs to a single point over the final seven minutes of the period to possess a 13-8 lead after 10 minutes of action.
 
Bryan (19-3, 17-1 AAC) extended its run out to 14-1 early in the second before Mariya Williams ended Montreat's 9:43 field goal drought with a putback layup. A pair of assists and a pair of offensive rebounds helped spark a 7-0 run to pull the Cavs back within 26-19 midway through the second quarter, but the hosts closed out the frame well and took a 35-23 lead into the half.
 
The Lions converted at a higher rate than the Cavaliers by shooting 13-of-26 overall (50.0 percent) and 6-of-16 from beyond the arc (37.5 percent). Meanwhile, the visitors went 9-for-28 from the field (32.1 percent) and 2-for-10 from 3-point range (20.0 percent). Both teams took care of the basketball by committing just two turnovers each. Thompson paced Montreat with seven points at the break, and Vaniyah Petty hauled in a team-high five rebounds.
 
Offensive rebounding powered the Cavs in the third quarter as the visitors whittled their deficit down to a single basket. Petty and Williams combined to pull down six offensive boards in the frame, creating extra opportunities that aided Montreat as it trimmed the gap to 40-37 with 2:50 left in the period. Williams scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds in the third quarter, but the Lions finished the frame with a 5-0 spurt to create a little bit of breathing room entering the fourth (45-37).
 
Bryan started the final quarter of action by reestablishing its double-digit edge (48-37) just moments into the period; however, the contest proved far from over. Williams and Gullette got out in transition and to the free-throw line, resulting in a 7-0 run over 1:14 that had the Cavaliers within arm's length of the Lions, 48-44. On three separate occasions, Montreat inched within four points of the hosts, but the Cavs couldn't quite get over the hump. In the end, Bryan scored a few late buckets to hold off the visitors and claim a 60-51 victory.
 
"I'm proud of how my team battled," said head coach Josh Thompson. "They worked hard, and defensively, I thought we got better tonight."
 
While Bryan saw its shooting percentages dip in the second half, it still managed to outshoot the Cavaliers thanks to its 44.7 percent showing from the field (21-47 FG), its 8-for-28 effort from deep (28.6 percent) and its 83.3 percent conversion rate at the free-throw line (10-12 FT). On the other side, the Cavs shot 33.3 percent overall (20-60 FG), 14.3 percent from behind the arc (3-21 3-pt FG) and 61.5 percent at the charity stripe (8-13 FT). Montreat finished the night with fewer turnovers (12-4), but the Lions registered more blocks (5-1) and more assists (10-7).
 
Williams notched her 10^th double-double of the season by recording a team-high 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Thompson (15 points) and Gullette (12 points) also reached double figures in scoring, and they each dished out three assists. Thompson also snagged a game-high four steals, while Petty added nine boards.
 
The Montreat women's basketball team looks to get back in the win column on Saturday when it hosts Kentucky Christian University for its Coaches vs. Cancer game. Tipoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. inside McAlister Gymnasium.