MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat men's basketball team honored its senior class Saturday afternoon as the squad took on the Bluefield University Rams inside McAlister Gymnasium. With a strong second half that propelled the Cavs to a 79-68 triumph, the Cavaliers concluded the regular season with a 17-10 (15-9 AAC) record.
 
Both teams battled for control of the matchup early on, resulting in four quick lead changes that saw the visitors gain an 11-9 edge in the opening moments. After scoreless droughts from each side that lasted four minutes, Michael Erbeck gave Montreat a 12-11 advantage midway through the frame.
 
Turnovers and missed shots were abundant in the first period as the squads combined for 19 first-half miscues, and neither team shot better than 28.1 percent from the field. Another 3-pointer and two free throws from Erbeck gave the Cavaliers a 17-11 lead, but Bluefield answered to trim its deficit and tie the contest late in the frame. Four points from Jarden Maze and a dunk from Elochukwu Eze ultimately had the home side up 26-24 at the break.
 
Bluefield (10-18, 9-15 AAC) led a less-than-impressive shooting half by connecting on nine of its 32 attempts (28.1 percent) compared to Montreat's 27.6 percent (8-29 FG). The Cavs drained more triples, making five of 17 tries from deep (29.4 percent) to BU's 21.4 percent clip from three (3-14 3-pt FG). Erbeck led all scorers with 11 points (3-4 3-pt FG) in the first, while Eze grabbed a team-best five rebounds.
 
The Cavaliers picked up their pace and offensive efficiency in the second half, scoring on six of seven field goal attempts early to build their advantage out to six (38-32). Three-pointers by Darius Bryant allowed the Cavs to keep Bluefield at bay, and, after the Rams closed the gap to a single possession (44-42) thanks to three straight makes, Tyler Rodrigue knocked down a shot from behind the arc to extend the edge again.
 
In a back-and-forth portion of the frame, a 4-for-5 stretch from Montreat grew the advantage to eight (52-44), but BU responded once more to pull the score within 52-49 halfway through the final period. Nine consecutive points fueled by four offensive rebounds and a 4-point play by Rodrigue then gave the Cavs their largest lead of the afternoon to that point as the home team went up 12 (61-49) with 8:45 left on the clock.
 
Bryant hit another pair of triples, while Maze and Eze both contributed with multiple makes as the Cavalier lead grew to as many as 16 in the second half. Though Bluefield made a late charge, a 5-minute-long drought from the field by the visitors helped seal the 11-point Montreat victory.
 
In the end, the Cavs outscored the Rams 53-44 in the latter period largely due to a 9-for-20 showing (45.0 percent) from three, led by Bryant's 4-for-5 performance from deep and his 12 second-period points. The Cavaliers shot 52.8 percent (19-36 FG) in the second half to finish 27 of 65 (41.5 percent) from the field. They also grabbed 11 offensive boards over the final 20 minutes to outrebound Bluefield 45-35 and score 14 second-chance points.

"It's always great to win on senior night," noted head coach Anthony Barringer. "We told our guys in the days leading up to today that today was about our seniors and our staff made it very clear to our players that we were all going to max out our effort so those guys walked out of McAlister with a W." 

Erbeck (16 points) captained the team in scoring, while Bryant added 15 points on five 3s, and Maze concluded with 12 points. Eze scored eight, collected a team-high eight boards and blocked a game-high three opposing shots; Erbeck contributed seven rebounds to his total as all 12 Cavs who saw time secured at least one rebound. Chris Moore assisted on a season-best six baskets.

"I thought we guarded really well in the first half but couldn't find any offense," said Barringer. "The second half was the complete opposite. We got stops when we needed them, but could've guarded much better. Fourteen 3s, 16 assists and 18 offensive rebounds will always help you win. I'm proud of how our guys finished and am looking forward to Kingsport."
 
Men's basketball now enters the quarterfinal round of the AAC Tournament, which will be played in Kingsport, Tenn. on Thursday, looking to make a deep run in the postseason. Tipoff time for the matchup has yet to be determined.