LAURINBURG, N.C.— Needing one more Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) win to clinch its first top-six finish in the conference standings since 2020-21, the Montreat women's basketball team traveled to Laurinburg, N.C. Tuesday night to take on the St. Andrews University Knights. In their final road game and conference contest of the season, the Cavaliers survived a late surge by the hosts, grabbing a 55-54 win over SAU to improve to 18-9 (15-9 AAC) on the year.
 
Mariya Williams started the Cavs off well with a pair of early baskets at the rim and six of the visitors' initial nine points. Then, thanks to a combination of forced turnovers and good looks, Montreat took off, vaulting in front of the Knights by 12 points (21-9) eight minutes into the contest. The Cavaliers shot 10-of-17 from the floor in the first quarter, and they translated six St. Andrews turnovers into 10 points. A Makayla Thompson 3-pointer proved to be the icing on the cake in the frame as Montreat ended the period with a 24-13 lead.
 
Ja'Liah Wilson and Thompson quickly handed the Cavs their largest lead of the half, 28-13, with a pair of layups off the glass just 1:04 into the second quarter; however, behind a better defensive effort, the Knights managed to whittle their deficit down to single digits. St. Andrews held the Cavaliers to a 1-for-6 shooting stretch and forced four Montreat turnovers, all part of a 12-2 run that shrank the visitors' lead down to 30-25. Thompson, who led all first-half scorers with 12 points, added two late buckets in the closing minutes to slow the SAU momentum and give the away side a 34-26 halftime lead.
 
The Cavs notched one of their best shooting halves of the season against St. Andrews, knocking down 53.8 percent (14-26 FG) of their shot attempts and 42.9 percent (3-7 3-pt FG) of their 3-point looks in the opening half. Meanwhile, the Knights hit at a 45.5-percent clip (10-22 FG) overall, as well as a 33.3-percent clip (3-9 3-pt FG) from deep. Montreat registered eight assists and seven steals in the half, and it turned 10 SAU turnovers into 12 points.
 
Williams hauled in the 700^th rebound of her Cavalier career in the third quarter, and the Charlotte, N.C. native reestablished the visitors' double-digit edge (38-28) on a putback basket just over two minutes into the period. The Montreat defense forced St. Andrews to miss on seven of its first eight looks from the floor in the frame, and, when coupled with a Tatiyana Cannon triple late, the Cavs seized a 45-34 lead entering the fourth.
 
St. Andrews (3-20, 3-20 AAC) saved its best for last, and it almost proved enough to defeat the Cavaliers. Back-to-back baskets cut the Montreat lead to single digits (45-36), and a pair of 3-pointers shaved the gap down to 48-44 midway through the final quarter. Then, a few minutes later, the Knights utilized a free throw, an offensive rebound and their sixth 3-pointer of the night to level the score at 52-52 with just over a minute remaining; however, the Cavs remained calm in the face of adversity. Adrianna Gullette made a free throw to put the visitors back in front, and a lockdown defensive possession turned into an SAU shot-clock violation. From there, Williams knocked down a pair at the charity stripe, and the Cavs walked away with a 55-54 AAC victory.
 
"This was another tough win on the road, and I'm proud of my team's resilience," said head coach Josh Thompson.
 
With its 18^th win on the year, the Montreat women's basketball team secured its winningest season since 2012-13. The squad's 15^th AAC win, its most since at least 2004, also locked up a top-six finish in the conference standings.
 
After a 6-for-26 showing in the second half, the Cavaliers saw their overall shooting percentage fall to 38.5 percent (20-52 FG). Montreat also ended the night 4-for-13 (30.8 percent) from beyond the arc and 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) at the free-throw line. On the other side, the Knights edged out the visitors from the field (41.7 percent; 20-48 FG) but fell just short from deep (30.0 percent; 6-20 3-pt FG) and at the line (66.7 percent; 8-12 FT). Sizeable advantages in turnovers forced (17-10) and bench points (26-4) ultimately helped the Cavs seal the victory.
 
Williams led the Cavaliers in scoring (15 points), rebounding (9 boards) and steals (4), while Gullette (14 points) and Thompson (12 points) joined her in double figures on the offensive end of the floor. Thompson, Gullette and Triniti Lockhart each recorded a pair of assists on the night.
 
The Montreat women's basketball team closes out its 2022-23 regular season with senior day festivities and a home non-conference clash versus Warren Wilson College. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. inside McAlister Gymnasium.