ATHENS, Tenn.— The Montreat men's basketball team went on the road to Tennessee Wesleyan University for its opening Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup with the Bulldogs Wednesday night. With the score close through 38 of the 40 minutes, the Bulldogs used a late run to hand the Cavaliers a 67-60 defeat and drop Montreat to 0-2 (0-1 AAC) through two games.
 
Though four quick points from Michael Erbeck gave the Cavaliers an early 6-2 advantage only 2:19 in, slow-moving opening moments saw the Bulldogs record seven straight points to go up 9-6 just 4:38 into the game. Five turnovers by Montreat then allowed TWU (1-1, 1-0 AAC) to double up the visitors 16-8; however, back-to-back triples from Erbeck and Collin Mills brought the Cavs within two (16-14) midway through the frame.
 
Both teams struggled from the field until late into the first half when the matchup began to resemble a 3-point shooting contest. Mills hit a pair of deep shots and CamRon Sias notched a 3-point make, but Tennessee Wesleyan answered with efficiency on the offensive end of the floor. An 11-6 run over the final 4:36 enabled the Bulldogs to lead by as many as eight (34-26) and head into halftime with a 6-point edge (38-32) as the visitors didn't attempt a 2-pt shot for the final six minutes of the first half.
 
The late connections from three carried the Cavaliers, who went 12-of-32 from the field (37.5 percent) and 8-for-22 from beyond the arc (36.4 percent) in the initial period. TWU hit 42.4 percent of its looks overall (14-33 FG), while draining just two of 11 threes (18.2 percent). The Bulldogs out-rebounded Montreat 21-14 with 10 offensive boards. With three triples, Mills led the Cavs with 11 first-half points. Erbeck totaled 10 points, while Jamiel Wright added four assists.
 
Two baskets from Mills and one from Tyler Murray powered a 6-3 stretch that halved the visitors' deficit to start the second frame. After the home side matched its largest lead of the game with a 48-40 advantage, the Cavaliers responded with a 14-2 run over 3:30, utilizing nine points from Jack Keller that handed the Cavs their first lead since 6-5 before making it 54-50 with 8:47 to play.
 
Following a stretch that helped Tennessee Wesleyan tie the game at 58, Mills gave the visitors a 60-58 edge with 3:14 on the clock; however, the Bulldogs scored the final nine points of the game, holding Montreat to a mere two points over the last six minutes, while tallying 13 points of their own.
 
Overall, TWU out-shot the Cavaliers by connecting on 43.1 percent of its looks (25-58 FG) to the visitors' 37.9 percent (25-66 FG). The Cavs owned the 3-point battle, making 10 of their 37 triples (27.0 percent) to Tennessee Wesleyan's 17.6 percent clip (3-17 3-pt FG), and totaled seven more assists (18-11). The Bulldogs also notched 14 free-throw makes (14-25), while Montreat failed to drain any of its three attempts from the charity stripe.
 
Mills finished with a team-high 19 points, Erbeck poured in 15 and Keller ended with 14. The trio combined for 20 of the squad's 25 made field goals and 48 of the 60 points as the eight other Cavaliers who saw time went 5-for-23 in the 7-point defeat. Mills and Elochukwu Eze tied with a team-best seven rebounds.

"This was a tough loss. We are knocking on the door, but are struggling to execute down the stretch," noted head coach Anthony Barringer. "Tonight, we also lost the battle on the boards, which makes winning games on the road hard. We will get back to work tomorrow and prepare for Brevard."
 
Men's basketball now plays a non-conference competition at Brevard College on Friday. Tipoff is expected at 7 p.m.