CLEVELAND, Ga.— Putting its 6-game winning streak and undefeated conference record on the line Saturday afternoon, the Montreat women's basketball team hit the road for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) showdown against the Truett McConnell University Bears in Cleveland, Ga. While the Cavaliers held a 3-2 edge in the early going, that ended up being their only lead of the day as the hosts led by double-digits for most of the contest. Ultimately, Montreat dropped a 58-47 final and fell to 6-4 (4-1 AAC) on the year.
Sloppy offensive play plagued the Cavs during the initial quarter of action.
Virginia Edmondson connected on a shot from beyond the arc, and
Vaniyah Petty added a bucket down low midway through the frame; however, those proved to be Montreat's lone makes from the field through 10 minutes. The Cavaliers shot just 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) overall while committing nine turnovers in the first quarter. As a result, TMU ended the period on a 7-0 run and took a 15-6 lead into the second.
Truett McConnell (2-7, 2-4 AAC) extended its run to 13-0 after a pair of baskets and free throws created a 21-6 edge over four minutes into the quarter. Eventually, a series of defensive stops helped spark Montreat on the offensive end of the floor as two
Triniti Lockhart steals resulted in free throws for
Rymiah Sanders and a layup for Edmondson. A native of Goldsboro, N.C., Edmondson added two more buckets to cap off an 11-2 run that pulled the visitors within six points (23-17) with 1:51 left in the half; however, a couple of late scores re-established a double-digit edge for TMU, and the hosts entered the break with a 27-17 lead.
At halftime, the Bears owned noticeable advantages across all shooting statistics. Truett McConnell connected on 33.3 percent of its overall tries (8-24 FG), as well as 25.0 percent of its looks from deep (2-8 3-pt FG) and nine of its 10 free throw attempts. On the other side, the Cavs converted just 21.4 percent of their shot attempts into points (6-28 FG) and one of their 11 3-point efforts. Montreat also shot 4-for-9 at the charity stripe. Edmondson paced the visiting side with nine points, while no other Cavalier contributed more than two points.
Picking up where it left off at the end of the initial half, TMU poured in eight of the first 11 points in the third quarter, matching its largest lead to that point at 35-20 midway through the frame. Six free throws, including four from Petty, kept the Cavaliers within shouting distance, but the visitors' 3-for-15 showing from the field aided the Bears in maintaining a 42-29 scoring edge entering the final 10 minutes of game action.
With Montreat's perfect AAC record on the line, Truett McConnell landed the knockout blow with five swift points and its biggest advantage of the day, 47-29. Sanders, Edmondson and
Katie Alexander tallied late baskets in the paint, all part of a 10-0 spurt that trimmed the deficit to 47-39 with 3:18 remaining, but the damage was done. An and-one and a 3-point make put the Cavs away for good, and TMU closed out a 58-47 win on its home floor.
Like it did through one half of action, Truett McConnell owned shooting edges over Montreat at the game's conclusion. The hosts drilled 37.3 percent (19-51 FG) of their field goals, 29.4 percent (5-17 3-pt FG) of their tries from deep and 88.2 percent (15-17 FT) of their free throws. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers shot 28.3 percent overall (17-60 FG), 11.1 percent from 3-point range (2-18 3-pt FG) and 47.8 percent from the line (11-23 FT). Montreat committed fewer turnovers (26-17) and scored more points off those turnovers (22-8), but the shooting disparities coupled with a 46-33 advantage on the glass saw the Bears claim the ballgame.
Edmondson paced all players with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Sanders added 10 points and five boards of her own. Lockhart and
Adrianna Gullette each registered two assists.
The Montreat women's basketball team remains on the road this Wednesday for its next AAC action versus the Bryan College Lions. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Dayton, Tenn.
