MONTREAT, N.C.— After a brief 2-game road stint, the Montreat women's basketball team returned to McAlister Gymnasium Saturday afternoon for a non-conference battle against the Point University Skyhawks. Despite trailing by seven at the halftime, the Cavaliers shot a scorching 58.3 percent (14-24 FG) in the second half to complete a 66-57 comeback win over PU and improve to 2-3 overall on the season.
Defense aided the Cavs in a quick start as, less than four minutes into the contest, Montreat jumped out to a 7-3 lead. Forcing a pair of turnovers while holding the visitors to just a 1-for-7 start from the field,
Aebri Graham and
Adrianna Gullette capitalized at the free-throw line and
Virginia Edmondson cashed a late shot-clock triple to push the home team ahead in the opening stages of action.
Point (2-2) found its footing midway through the first quarter thanks to a series of 3-point makes. The Skyhawks buried four triples in the initial frame, making more looks from beyond the arc (4-8 3-pt FG) than the Cavaliers converted from the field (3-15 FG). Edmonson (6 points) and Gullette (5 points) kept the home team close, but the visitors owned a 16-13 lead after a quarter of play.
Edmondson wasted no time retaking the lead as the Goldsboro, N.C. native drilled a 3-pointer and finished at the rim to put the hosts back in front, 18-16, merely 1:06 into the second period; however, the Skyhawks failed to cool off from deep. Point hit seven 3-pointers (7-16 3-pt FG; 43.8 percent) in the opening half, and a pair of transition baskets helped the visitors make their final four shot attempts of the quarter. Ultimately, a 10-3 run to close the half vaulted PU to a 34-27 halftime lead.
Along with its 3-point shooting, the Skyhawks also cashed 40.6 percent (13-32 FG) of its total shot attempts. On the flip side, Montreat connected on just 28.1 percent (9-32 FG) of its looks from the floor and 30.0 percent (3-10 3-pt FG) of its triples. The Cavs committed one fewer turnover (7-6) than their opponent, but PU held a 9-3 edge in points off turnovers at the intermission. Edmondson led all scorers at the break with 14 points, while
Cierra Lail did the same with six rebounds.
A quick steal and a layup on the third quarter's opening possession expanded Point's lead to 36-27, but Montreat's defense eventually helped turn the tide in favor of the home team. Three Cavalier steals turned into a trio of Edmondson layups, and a
Triniti Lockhart 3-pointer gave Montreat the lead for good at 41-40. The hosts held Point scoreless for over five minutes during the third frame, and Gullette drained an elbow jumper in the closing seconds to finish off an 18-4 run that handed the Cavs a 49-44 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
Point's hopes of its own comeback ended quickly as the hosts stayed hot from the floor in the fourth quarter. Gullette,
Vaniyah Petty and Edmondson each contributed makes from the field, and Lockhart banked in a triple to cap off a stretch in which Montreat converted on five consecutive shot attempts. The Charlotte, N.C. native's long-range bucket saw the Cavaliers claim their first double-digit lead of the afternoon (64-54) with just 3:35 left. Two late Edmondson free throws extended the lead to 66-54 as she surpassed her career-best scoring mark for the second straight contest (27 points). As the final buzzer sounded, Montreat seized its second triumph of the week, this time with a 66-57 scoreline.
"Today was a great win for us," said head coach
Josh Thompson. "Point is really good, and I like how my team bounced back in the second half. I felt like we handled the tough times in this game very well and that we stuck together and kept battling."
Behind a stellar second half, the hosts ultimately outshot the visitors from the field. Montreat connected on 41.1 percent (23-56 FG) of its attempts from the floor, as well as 40.0 percent (8-20 3-pt FG) of its 3-point tries. Meanwhile, the Skyhawks shot 37.9 percent (22-58 FG) overall and 40.0 percent (10-25 3-pt FG) from beyond the arc. Both teams also shot 75.0 percent from the free-throw line, but the Cavs went 12-for-16 compared to their counterparts' 3-for-4. Bench points (13-3), points off turnovers (18-14) and turnovers forced (20-15) all favored the home team.
Edmondson's career-high 27 points (10-20 FG, 4-11 3-pt FG) led all scorers, and she also notched eight boards and three steals. Gullette added 12 points and a team-best five assists, while Petty corralled a season-high 13 rebounds. Lockhart poured in a season-best nine points in the win.
The Montreat women's basketball team resumes conference play on Tuesday with a home clash against Union College (Ky.). Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Montreat, N.C.
