MONTREAT, N.C.— In an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) competition against the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs, the Montreat women's basketball team dropped a home contest by a score of 65-47 Saturday afternoon inside McAlister Gymnasium. As a result, the Cavaliers fell to 16-9 on the year and 14-9 in conference play.
 
Neither team took initial control of the competition until midway through the opening frame when Tennessee Wesleyan used the longball to fuel 10 consecutive points en route to a 14-6 advantage. The Cavaliers converted on just two of their ensuing 12 field goal attempts but kept the visitors off the board for over three minutes, resulting in a 17-11 lead for TWU after the first quarter.
 
The Bulldogs, who made four 3s in the first period, connected on three more in 3:32 to expand the advantage out to nine (26-17) five minutes into the second. The gap eventually reached 11; however, Mariya Williams was a catalyst in the Cavalier offense, scoring 13 of the team's opening 22 points to pull Montreat within seven. During the stretch, the Cavs held the Bulldogs without a make for 4:18 and  stayed within single digits (30-22) at the intermission.
 
Three-point shooting carried TWU to its edge as the visitors drained seven of their 19 tries (36.8 percent) to Montreat's one make on five attempts (20.0 percent). The Cavaliers overcame the deficit from deep by scoring 14 points in the paint to the Bulldogs' four, notching seven fast-break points to Tennessee Wesleyan's zero and translating four turnovers into five points. Montreat (10-32 FG; 31.3 percent) shot slightly better from the floor than its counterparts (9-30 FG; 30.0 percent) thanks largely to Williams' 13 first-half points. She also led all players with seven rebounds.
 
Four consecutive points from Williams brought the home side within four (30-26) at the beginning of the second half, and a 6-0 run coupled with a field goal drought of over four minutes for TWU made it 34-32 with 4:36 remaining in the third quarter. Five straight Cavalier points from Adrianna Gullette and strong defense from Montreat, including a 1-for-8 stretch by Tennessee Wesleyan, pulled the home team within one (38-37) prior to a late 3-pointer that gave the visitors a 41-37 lead entering the final period.
 
A swift 8-2 start to the fourth put the Bulldogs ahead by eight points (48-40) moments into the quarter before a 4-point possession and a 7-0 spurt allowed TWU to lead by 13 with 4:07 on the clock. The Cavs failed to hit a field goal for over four minutes as Tennessee Wesleyan used five straight makes to extend its lead to as many as 18 down the stretch in the 65-47 result.
 
Five Cavaliers scored in the game led by Williams, who notched a 23-point, 14-rebound double-double on 10-of-20 shooting. Gullette joined Williams in double figures in scoring with 12 points, while Makayla Thompson contributed a game-high five steals.
 
Tennessee Wesleyan (17-7, 15-7 AAC) rebounded to shoot better in all three phases of the contest as the Bulldogs made 36.4 percent (20-55 FG) of their attempts from the field, 38.2 percent (13-34 3-pt FG) of their attempts from three and 12 of 17 free throws (70.6 percent). On the other hand, Montreat hit 32.2 percent (19-59 FG) of its tries overall, one of its 10 3-pointers (10.0 percent) and eight of its 12 shots from the charity stripe (66.7 percent).
 
Women's basketball plays its final road competition of the 2022-23 season when the Cavaliers face St. Andrews on Tuesday. Tipoff in Laurinburg, N.C. is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.