WEST POINT, Ga.— The Montreat women's basketball team began its 2023-24 campaign with a trip to Georgia to face former Appalachian Athletic Conference member, the Point University Skyhawks, Saturday afternoon. After four quarters of action, the Cavs were outscored 64-48, resulting in an 0-1 record.
 
The Cavaliers grabbed an early 8-7 advantage in the opening frame thanks to seven points from Virginia Edmondson before extending their lead out to four (16-12) as she scored 10 of the team's first 16 points at the conclusion of the first quarter. Edmondson then hit a triple to start the second, giving the visitors a 19-12 edge; however, the Skyhawks controlled the rest of the period. Outscoring the Cavs 21-2 over the remainder of the initial half, Point went into the break up by double digits (33-21).
 
At halftime, Point held the edge in shooting percentage (32.4 to 21.9) and 3-point shooting percentage (33.3 to 27.3), while the Cavaliers committed five more turnovers (10-5) and registered 21 rebounds to the Skyhawks' 18. Edmondson led the Cavs with 13 points after making five of her 11 field goals over the first two frames.
 
PU (2-0) built its advantage out to as many as 17 points midway through the third quarter, but baskets by Vaniyah Petty and Edmondson trimmed Montreat's deficit down to 12 (41-29) with 5:51 left in the period. Though Cierra Lail tallied a pair of buckets late in the quarter, 3-point shooting aided the home side to a 51-35 lead with 10 minutes to play.
 
Putting pressure on the hosts, the Cavaliers cut into the spread once more due to five straight points from Adrianna Gullette that resulted in a 56-42 scoreline with 5:21 to go in the competition. Four more points from Edmondson kept Montreat within 16, but, despite the late run, the visitors dropped their season opener by 16 points.
 
"This was a tough game for us today. Point is a really good team and a great test for us to start the season. We learned a lot today and we'll get better from it," mentioned head coach Josh Thompson.
 
In the end, the Skyhawks played solid defense, holding the Cavaliers to just 26.9 percent shooting (18-67 FG) while converting on 32.3 percent (20-62 FG) of their looks. Montreat outrebounded Point slightly (43-37) thanks to a 20-12 edge in offensive boards. Edmondson captained the team with 20 points, while Petty added a team-high 12 rebounds. Gullette contributed with eight points and a team-best four assists.
 
Women's basketball plays its first home contest of the year when the Cavaliers host the Carolina University Bruins on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.