MONTGOMERY, Ala.— The Montreat men's basketball team traveled to Montgomery, Ala. Saturday afternoon for a non-conference matchup versus the Faulkner University Eagles. Playing in their final game prior to Christmas, the Cavaliers capitalized on Gabriel Rivera's career day along with 15 3-point makes to capture an 85-79 road win and snap their 4-game losing skid. With the victory, Montreat enters Christmas break at 5-7 overall.
 
A native of Orlando, Fla., Rivera poured in eight quick points thanks to a pair of triples and a putback basket, but the redshirt sophomore couldn't quite keep up with Faulkner's hot start from the field. The Eagles connected on seven of their initial nine tries from the floor, and they maintained a 15-10 scoring edge over the Cavs roughly five minutes into the contest.
 
Tyler Murray and Michael Erbeck sparked an 11-2 run as each drained a shot from beyond the arc. Collin Mills followed up those 3-point makes with a jumper and a three of his own to vault the visitors ahead 21-17 with 9:10 remaining in the half.
 
Faulkner (7-6) answered with an 11-2 run over the next 4:13, but the Cavaliers closed the half on a strong note. Rivera and Erbeck combined for a trio of 3-pointers, and Mills tacked on a basket in the final minute to cap off an 11-1 spurt and seize a 34-29 lead entering halftime.
 
The hosts owned an overall shooting edge on Montreat at the break (42.9 percent to 36.1 percent), but the Cavs' barrage of 3-point buckets swung the first half in the visitors' favor. Montreat drained eight triples (8-21 3-pt FG; 38.1 percent) through 20 minutes of play, while the Eagles converted just two of their eight long-range attempts into points. Rivera, who scored a half-best 14 points, drilled four of his six looks from beyond the arc. Mills scored seven points during the initial frame, and Erbeck added six points and a team-high six rebounds.
 
Rivera continued his career day with his fifth triple merely 1:08 into the second half. After Jamiel Wright drove to the hoop and scored a basket, Jack Keller got in on the fun with a steal, a layup and a shot from beyond the arc. The Houston, Texas native's five swift points handed the Cavaliers their first double-digit advantage of the day just 2:51 into the frame (44-34).
 
While the home team tried to gradually chip away at Montreat's lead, the visitors came up with answer after answer. Faulkner trimmed the gap to four points on a pair of occasions midway through the half, but Erbeck buried a three to end the first comeback attempt, and Murray connected on shots from inside the paint and from deep to stop the second run. Murray's 3-pointer proved to be the first of three Cav triples across three consecutive possessions that ultimately led to Montreat securing its largest lead of the night, 77-63, with just 6:23 left in regulation.
 
A 6-minute-long Cavalier field goal drought aided the Eagles in pulling within a basket at 81-78, the first such time Faulkner trailed by a single possession since 34-32 early in the second half; however, Rivera's running jumper with 49 seconds left sealed Montreat's road win as the Cavs eventually snapped their 4-game losing streak thanks to an 85-79 victory.
 
"It feels good to get back in the win column and go into Christmas break with some momentum," said head coach Anthony Barringer. "It was clear from the beginning of the game that our guys were ready for a fight, and I felt like we brought the fight to Faulkner. We executed our gameplan and got the result we wanted with a total team effort."
 
The Eagles shot an efficient 50.8 percent (32-63 FG) from the floor, but they made just eight triples (8-23 3-pt FG; 34.8 percent). Meanwhile, despite shooting just 40.3 percent (29-72) overall, Montreat connected on 15 of its 35 tries from deep (42.9 percent) to win the contest. The Cavaliers also owned a 43-38 rebounding advantage and a 16-8 edge on the offensive glass, which translated to 12 more second chance points (19-7).
 
Rivera's career-high 22-point effort led all scorers as he drained a career-best six threes. Erbeck nearly notched a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Murray tallied his season-high in scoring (14 points). Mills and Wright also scored in double figures with 12 points and 11 points, respectively, and the duo tied with a team-best four assists in the triumph. Dyllan Barnwell paced the Cavs with 10 boards.
 
The Montreat men's basketball team now breaks for Christmas before returning on Dec. 29 for an exhibition contest at College of Charleston, an NCAA Division I institution. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. in Charleston, S.C.