BREVARD, N.C.— The Montreat men's basketball team traveled to Brevard, N.C. Friday night for a non-conference showdown against the Brevard College Tornados. In the battle between Western North Carolina foes, the Cavaliers leaned on a strong second-half performance to weather the storm and capture their first win of the season, 75-69. With the triumph, the Cavs improved to 1-2 on the young season.
 
Tyler Murray and Collin Mills buried a pair of jump shots in the opening minutes of the contest, but the hosts scored on three consecutive possessions to establish an 8-4 lead over the Cavs just 3:01 into the ballgame. A third BC triple minutes later expanded the Tornados' advantage and capped off an 11-2 run that pushed the home team's edge out to 11-4 after five minutes of action.
 
Montreat began attacking the basket after starting just 2-for-10 from the field, and it quickly paid dividends. After a pair of Jamiel Wright free throws stopped Brevard's scoring streak, Jack Keller left his mark. With a driving layup and a turnaround jumper, Keller brought the visitors within a point at 11-10. Mills deposited a layup of his own to retake the lead, and Wright and Keller connected on looks from beyond the arc to finish off a 14-2 run that spanned 3:58. Keller scored half of the Cavaliers' points during the stretch as the visitors hit five of their eight tries from the field to hold an 18-13 lead midway through the half.
 
Brevard (0-1) chipped away at its deficit after falling behind by five, utilizing eight free throw makes on eight attempts during a 14-5 spurt. As a result, the Tornados managed to reclaim the lead and move in front of the Cavs, 27-23, before ultimately entering the break up 33-29.
 
The Tornados were the more efficient side in the first half as they converted on 47.4 percent (9-19 FG) of their overall looks and four of their 11 3-point tries (36.4 percent). Meanwhile, the Cavaliers shot 39.3 percent (11-28 FG) overall and 27.3 percent (3-11 3-pt FG) from deep. Montreat held a slim rebounding edge (16-15) thanks to five offensive boards, but the hosts made seven more free throws (11-4) and assisted on four more buckets (6-2). Keller led all scorers prior to the intermission with nine points, and Mills contributed eight points and a half-best five rebounds.
 
Brevard drilled its first three 3-point attempts early in the second half, but it wasn't enough to slow down the Cavs' offense as Montreat heated up from the field. A pair of pull-up triples from Michael Erbeck helped cancel out the Tornados' deep makes, while Wright's long 2-point jumper plus a 3-point shot knotted the score at 42. Keller then tacked on a layup and a make from beyond the arc as Montreat hit five of its eight shot attempts during a 3:08 stretch in which it scored 13 consecutive points and seized a 47-42 lead with 13:08 remaining.
 
After BC tied the game at 47-47, Dyllan Barnwell made the most of his Cavalier debut. The freshman from Weaverville, N.C. not only blocked a shot immediately after checking in, but he also scored his first bucket and added a 3-point play moments later to restore the visitors' 5-point edge midway through the period.
 
As the half wore on, Montreat found ways to convert extra possessions into points. Gabriel Rivera, Chris Moore and Keller each contributed to the visitors' lead following forced turnovers, and Keller cashed in an offensive rebound for a 3-point bucket and the team's first double-digit lead of the night with 6:01 left (63-52).
 
Brevard tried to complete a late comeback, but Wright denied any notion of a Tornados win down the stretch. The Atlanta, Ga. native nearly recorded Montreat's final 12 points as he rattled off nine in a row to slam the door on the hosts and secure the 75-69 win.
 
"Defense—we guarded like our lives depended on it in the second half," said head coach Anthony Barringer. "I challenged our guys at halftime, and they responded exactly how we wanted them to. We went deep into our bench tonight—a total team effort. I'm really proud of our guys."
 
Thanks to an impressive second half, the Cavs finished the night shooting 42.4 percent (25-59 FG) overall and 34.6 percent (9-26 3-pt FG) from deep, both better marks than BC's 37.0 percent (17-46 FG) and 32.1 percent (9-28 3-pt FG) showings, respectively. Montreat dominated the glass by hauling in 17 more total rebounds (42-25) and eight more offensive rebounds (13-5) than its counterpart. Those extra possessions translated to a 12-2 advantage in second-chance points, as well as a 51-32 bench points edge.
 
Behind his 17-point second-half effort, Wright concluded the contest with a game-high 24 points and five boards. Keller poured in his best offensive outing as a Cavalier thanks to his 18 points and team-best two assists. Mills narrowly missed a double-double as he added nine points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
 
The Montreat men's basketball team welcomes the Union College (Ky.) Bulldogs into McAlister Gymnasium Tuesday evening for the squad's next competition. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. in Montreat, N.C.