ATHENS, Tenn.— The Montreat women's basketball team opened its 2023-24 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) slate in Athens, Tenn. Wednesday night as the Cavaliers hit the road for a matchup with the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs. Behind a remarkable defensive performance, particularly in the first and fourth quarters, the Cavs nearly led coast-to-coast en route to their first win of the season, 54-44. With the triumph, Montreat now stands at 1-3 (1-0 AAC) on the young season.
 
Defense coupled with offensive outbursts from Virginia Edmondson and Adrianna Gullette had Montreat sitting in a good position at halftime. Edmonson hit three of her initial four looks from the floor, scoring the Cavaliers' first seven points as the visitors clung to a 7-6 lead midway through the opening quarter. From there, Gullette got into the mix with a pair of triples, and Edmondson buried another look from deep to hand the Cavs a 16-9 lead after 10 minutes of action. Montreat's defense allowed few decent looks at the basket, leading the Bulldogs to shoot merely 15.4 percent (2-13 FG) from the field. Meanwhile, Edmondson (10 points) and Gullette (6 points) registered all the Cavaliers' scoring in the first quarter.
 
Vaniyah Petty started the second frame off with a jumper, quickly expanding the visitors' advantage out to 18-9; however, Tennessee Wesleyan answered with an and-one, jumpstarting a 7-0 TWU run that trimmed the home team's deficit down to just 18-16 with 5:59 left in the half.
 
Facing pressure for the first time, Montreat responded well. The Cavs rattled off a 12-1 run over the ensuing 3:04 as Edmondson, Gullette, Aebri Graham, Rymiah Sanders and Petty added points on the scoreboard to build Montreat's largest lead of the game at 30-17. Tennessee Wesleyan added a bucket late in the quarter, but the visitors owned an impressive 30-19 lead heading into the break.
 
With its lockdown defense, the Cavaliers owned the shooting edge at the half. Montreat connected on 11 of its 34 tries (32.4 percent) from the field compared to its counterpart's 6-for-26 (23.1 percent) showing. The visitors also had better luck from deep, making four more 3-pointers (5-1) while shooting 27.8 percent (5-18 3-pt FG) beyond the arc. On top of the shooting disparity, the Cavs notched six more assists (7-1), committed three fewer turnovers (9-6) and converted those turnovers into 11 more points (12-1). Edmondson led all players with 14 points and three assists through 20 minutes, and Triniti Lockhart hauled in a half-high seven rebounds prior to halftime.
 
Tennessee Wesleyan (1-1, 0-1 AAC) heated up offensively in the third quarter, making more shot attempts in the period (7-15 FG) than in the entire first half (6-26 FG). Despite the improved shooting, the Bulldogs failed to significantly decrease the gap as Montreat answered repeatedly with points of its own. The Cavaliers scored the contest's next points after five of TWU's seven made shots, severely limiting the Bulldogs' ability to cut into their deficit. Montreat shot an efficient 54.5 percent (6-11 FG) clip from the field in the third frame, and Gullette and Edmondson recorded 12 of the squad's 14 points. As a result, the visitors took a 44-35 lead into the final quarter of play.
 
In a low-scoring fourth quarter that featured 19 combined points between the two sides, the Cavs' defense paired with two timely 3-pointers helped the visitors seal the ballgame. After Tennessee Wesleyan drilled a long-range shot, Edmondson answered with her fifth triple to restore the 9-point edge (47-38). From there, Montreat's defense carried the load. The Cavaliers held TWU without a point for over 5:30, and the Bulldogs shot just 2-for-13 (15.4 percent) from the floor. Graham buried a 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining to remove any doubt as the Cavs captured their first win of the season, 54-44, along with their first win at Tennessee Wesleyan since Feb. 13, 2013.
 
"We really battled today," said head coach Josh Thompson. "It was a hard-fought win on the road against a good team. We also got some really good contributions off the bench today from Lockhart and Petty."
 
Montreat's efforts on both ends of the floor paid dividends in collecting the victory. On the night, the Cavaliers converted on 19 of their 54 shot attempts (35.2 percent) and nine of their 27 tries from deep (33.3 percent). Meanwhile, the hosts went just 15-for-54 (27.8 percent) overall and 4-for-27 (14.8 percent) beyond the arc. The Cavs also concluded the contest with advantages in rebounding (39-37), points off turnovers (17-5) and second-chance points (10-8).
 
Edmondson finished the night with a career-high and game-best 25 points, while both she and Graham dished out three assists. Gullette contributed 15 points and two steals, and Petty corralled a game-high nine rebounds. Lockhart matched her career-best with eight boards in the win.
 
The Montreat women's basketball team takes a brief hiatus from conference play on Saturday when it hosts Point University inside McAlister Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Montreat, N.C.