KINGSPORT, Tenn.— The Montreat men's basketball team played the Point University Skyhawks late Thursday night in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Quarterfinal at the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport, Tenn. Like it did in its previous two matchups during the regular season, Montreat defeated the Skyhawks, this time by a 69-57 final score, advancing the Cavaliers to their sixth consecutive AAC Semifinal in the process. With the win, the Cavs' record improved to 18-10 on the year.
 
Jarden Maze scored the initial basket of the contest on the game's opening possession, and Michael Erbeck quickly followed with five points of his own to power the Cavalier offense early; however, the longball sustained the Skyhawks in the early going as they connected on a trio of 3-pointers to aid in securing a 15-7 lead over the Cavs 5:31 into the quarterfinal.
 
Erbeck capped off a quick 8-0 Montreat run three minutes later to even the score at 15, while Point and Darius Bryant traded triples to tie the contest at 18. That 3-pointer proved to be the Skyhawks' lone basket during an 18-3 run over 5:36 in which the Cavaliers hit 7-of-11 shots from the floor while simultaneously holding Point to a 1-for-8 stretch. With 8:53 remaining in the half, Montreat held a 25-18 lead, one it never relinquished.
 
Point (15-14) closed the gap to a single point twice late in the first half, thanks in large part to a trio of Montreat turnovers during the final 2:07; however, CamRon Sias, Elochukwu Eze and Gabriel Rivera all converted in the paint to help the Cavs hold on to a 31-30 lead entering halftime.
 
Despite starting 4-of-9 from the field, the Skyhawks shot 6-for-21 over the rest of the first half to finish the frame 10-for-30 overall (33.3 percent). Point did manage to convert on five 3-pointers (5-9 3-pt FG; 55.6 percent) and five free throws (5-6 FT; 83.3 percent) prior to the intermission. On the other side, the Cavs overcame a 3-for-11 start from the field to finish 13-of-32 (40.6 percent). Unlike its counterpart, Montreat struggled from deep (28.6 percent; 4-14 3-pt FG) and at the charity stripe (33.3 percent; 1-3 FT). The Skyhawks held a 10-2 advantage in points off turnovers at the break, but the Cavaliers owned a 24-17 rebounding edge to cancel out the turnover disparity.
 
Eight different Cavs made a basket in the opening half, led by Erbeck's 3-for-6 showing with eight points. Eze paced all rebounders at the break with six boards.
 
Like the first half, Maze scored the initial points of the second half to put the Cavs up a basket (33-30). Erbeck, who ended the night with a career-high 22 points, also picked up where he left off, pouring in the next nine Montreat points to create some breathing room, 42-34, just 6:33 into the frame.
 
With its season on the line, Point trimmed the deficit to four on a pair of occasions, but the Skyhawks went cold from deep, missing seven straight 3-point looks. Meanwhile, Sias and Eze finished buckets at the rim, and Tyler Rodrigue drained his first 3-pointer of the night to surge the Cavalier lead out to double digits (49-38) with 8:34 to go.
 
Bryant went 4-for-7 from 3-point range on the night, and he put an end to the Skyhawks' comeback hopes with nine consecutive points for the Cavs, all from deep. The Lexington, S.C. native's 3-point baskets gave Montreat its largest lead of the night at 63-49, and the Cavaliers saw out the final three minutes from there. When the final buzzer sounded, Montreat claimed its third victory over Point this season, 69-57, and booked its sixth straight trip to the semifinal round of the AAC Tournament.
 
"That was fun," said head coach Anthony Barringer. "In the second half, we really looked like Montreat Men's Basketball."
 
Following similar shooting percentages in the second half, the Cavs ended the night at 40.3 percent (27-67 FG) overall and 37.0 percent (10-27 3-pt FG) from deep. Point shot a lower overall shooting percentage at 33.3 percent (21-63 FG) but converted at a slightly higher rate on 3-point looks (38.1 percent; 8-22 3-pt FG). Montreat concluded the contest with a substantial rebounding edge (53-36), which translated into an 11-point advantage in second-chance points (16-5).
 
Erbeck's career-high 22 points were enough to lead all scorers, while Eze's career-best 14 rebounds did the same for all participants. Erbeck also hauled in nine rebounds, matching his career high. Bryant added 12 points as nine Cavaliers ended the night with a made basket. Maze and Flenory tied for a team-high three assists.
 
"I tip my cap to our guys—we got stops when we needed them, and we made shots when we needed them," Barringer added. "Those guys want to win a championship, and they have a different look in their eyes than they've had all year. We're looking forward to tomorrow."
 
The Montreat men's basketball team now faces off against the No. 7-seeded Columbia International University Rams Friday night after CIU's 82-71 upset over Reinhardt University. Tipoff for the AAC Semifinal matchup is scheduled for approximately 8:00 p.m. inside the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport, Tenn.