COLUMBIA, S.C.— The Montreat men's basketball team suffered its second narrow road defeat of the week Saturday afternoon as the Cavaliers dropped an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup against the Columbia International University Rams, 89-88. With the nail-biting loss, the Cavs' record slid to 9-6 (7-5 AAC).
 
Tyler Murray and Darius Bryant were inserted into the Montreat starting lineup for today's contest, and the Cavalier pair were responsible for the game's first three made baskets. Murray opened the scoring with a jumper, and Bryant buried two 3-pointers to give the Cavs an 8-0 advantage less than three minutes into the ballgame.
 
Columbia International (8-7, 7-5 AAC) briefly pulled within a point of Montreat at 10-9 thanks to a quick 9-2 spurt, but Chris Moore converted a pair of buckets in the paint, and Jarden Maze and Tyler Rodrigue each hit from behind the arc to restore the 3-possession edge with 12:36 left in the half (18-11). Maze and Jamiel Wright then helped the visitors grow their lead out to double-digits just 90 seconds later (24-13).
 
Montreat clicked on both ends of the floor for most of the opening frame; however, the Rams managed to claw their way back into the game just before halftime. Mike Flenory's 3-pointer handed the Cavaliers their largest lead of the half at 42-28, but CIU utilized a triple and two 3-point plays to end the period on a 9-1 run. Ultimately, the Cavs held a 43-37 lead at the intermission.
 
The Cavaliers started the afternoon hot from the field, connecting on nearly half of their shots over the initial 20 minutes of action (18-37 FG; 48.6 percent). Meanwhile, Columbia International started 6-of-22 overall but finished 8-for-13 to end the half at 40.0 percent (14-35 FG). Neither side shot particularly well from beyond the arc with the Cavs' 5-for-15 showing edging out the Rams' 3-for-14 effort. Maze led Montreat with 13 points at the break, while five other Cavaliers made at least two shots prior to halftime. Wright grabbed five rebounds in the frame, and six Cavs registered an assist.
 
CIU continued its momentum from late in the initial half by making a pair of long-range attempts and drawing level for the first time, 43-43. Flenory and Maze momentarily restored the Montreat lead at 48-43, but the Rams used another 9-2 run to notch their first lead of the day with 13:22 remaining in regulation (53-52).
 
After what became a 16-5 run that flipped the game in their favor, the hosts continued to grow their advantage. Columbia International made six of its first eight 3-point tries in the second half, and its lead grew to as large as seven points on two separate occasions as a result.
 
Montreat had one final surge left in the tank, and it almost proved to be enough to win the ballgame. Down 82-76, Flenory and Bryant rattled off a quick 6-0 stretch to tie the game in just 71 seconds. Then, Wright made a pair of free throws and a deep 3-point look from the top of the key to move in front of the Rams 87-84 with merely 1:15 left in the contest; however, when it needed it most, CIU managed to find a friendly bounce or a friendly whistle and capitalized.
 
CIU's eighth 3-pointer of the half—the Rams shot 57.1 percent (8-14 3-pt FG) from deep in the second period—tied the game at 87-87 with a minute to go. Moments later, after Maze hit a free throw to retake the lead for the Cavs, the Rams snagged a crucial steal and a clutch offensive rebound to stay alive. With just 2.1 seconds left on the clock, Columbia International drove to the basket and drew a foul, making both free throws in the process to steal an 89-88 win on its home court.
 
"It was a tale of two halves for us," said head coach Anthony Barringer. "We played really well for 18 minutes in the first half, and then we didn't execute well down the stretch. In the second half, we came out flat and then we had to fight to finish the game. I felt like we did enough to win the game, but the ball didn't bounce our way. It's unfortunate, but that's the way the game goes."
 
Both teams finished the day with efficient shooting percentages. Montreat converted 50.7 percent (34-67 FG) of its looks from the field, 10 of its 25 3-point tries (40.0 percent) and 71.4 percent of its free-throw attempts (10-14 FT). On the other side, CIU went 29-for-65 (44.6 percent) overall, 11-for-28 from deep (39.3 percent) and 20-of-24 (83.3 percent) at the charity stripe. The Cavaliers owned a slight edge on the glass (38-34), but the Rams took advantage of their 10 extra free throws by making nine of them.
 
Maze paced the Cavs with his 21-point, 3-assist performance; he also hauled in six rebounds. Wright poured in 20 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Flenory (15) and Bryant (14) also scored in double figures.
 
The Montreat men's basketball team makes its 2023 home debut next Saturday versus Point University. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. inside McAlister Gymnasium.