DAYTON, Tenn.— After suffering its first Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) loss of the season last Saturday, the Montreat women's basketball team looked to get back on track Wednesday evening against a perennial AAC power in the Bryan College Lions. Despite their efforts, the Cavaliers couldn't overcome the hosts as the visitors' season record fell to 6-5 (4-2 AAC) following an 89-50 defeat.
 
Vaniyah Petty poured in the Cavs' first points of the night with a basket down on the left block, and Adrianna Gullette beat the shot clock thanks to a long-range 3-point bucket from the left wing; however, the Lions owned an early 13-5 edge less than four minutes into the initial quarter of play behind a 5-for-6 start from the floor. Aebri Graham cut into the deficit with a triple of her own, but BC scored 19 consecutive points over the frame's final 5:24 to conclude the period up 32-8. The Lions connected on 12 of their 20 shot attempts in the first quarter, including seven of their nine looks from deep, while the Cavaliers made just three of their 15 tries from the field.
 
Bryan (7-4, 7-1 AAC) expanded its run to 23-0 before Gullette buried an elbow jumper with 8:06 remaining in the half. Another extended scoring stretch for the home team, this time an 11-1 span across 2:05, pushed the BC lead to its largest mark of the half (47-11) midway through the second quarter. Katie Alexander provided a spark off the bench as she notched five straight points, jump-starting a 10-2 Montreat run in the process, but a late layup coupled with a free throw aided the Lions in seizing a 52-21 halftime lead.
 
An incredibly efficient shooting half aided the hosts in entering the break with a strong advantage on the scoreboard. Bryan drained 20 of its 37 overall shot attempts (54.1 percent) and 64.3 percent (9-14 3-pt FG) of its looks from deep. On the other side, the Cavs shot fine from beyond the arc (33.3 percent; 4-12 3-pt FG), but the visitors only translated four of their 15 2-point attempts into points. As a result, Montreat finished the first half with a 29.6 percent (8-27 FG) shooting clip. Bryan also wrapped up the opening 20 minutes with the upper hand in rebounds (26-10), second-chance points (13-0) and points in the paint (16-4). Gullette led the Cavaliers with eight points prior to the intermission, and Triniti Lockhart dished out a team-best three assists.
 
Scoring the opening seven points of the third quarter, the Lions surged ahead by 38 (59-21) merely 2:29 into the frame. Virginia Edmondson, who was scoreless through 22 minutes, did her best to match the home team by recording the Cavs' first 16 points in the period. Two Gullette free throws ended Edmondson's run, but Bryan managed to score enough that Montreat shaved only one point off its deficit. When the third quarter ended, BC still maintained a 69-39 lead.
 
With the game in hand, Bryan continued to push the tempo. The Lions grabbed their largest lead of the night in the fourth quarter, vaulting in front with a 41-point advantage (89-48). Petty tacked on a jumper in the closing minutes, but BC led from beginning to end as it ultimately claimed an 89-50 triumph over the visiting Cavaliers.
 
Bryan drilled 48.5 percent (33-68 FG) of its field goals and 48.4 percent (15-31 3-pt FG) of its 3-point tries in the victory, while the Cavs went 17-for-57 (29.8 percent) from the floor and 5-for-23 (21.7 percent) from deep. The Lions held advantages in most statistical categories following the 40-minute contest, including rebounds (47-27), assists (23-6), second-chance points (23-6) and blocks (5-1).
 
Edmondson poured in the most points with 16 among all 10 Cavaliers who saw game action, and Gullette added 15 points of her own. A native of Goldsboro, N.C., Edmondson also joined Rymiah Sanders with a team-high five boards.
 
The Montreat women's basketball team returns home on Saturday for its final conference game of the calendar year. Tipoff between the Cavaliers and the University of Pikeville Bears is slated for 2 p.m. in Montreat, N.C.