MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat men's basketball team utilized points off turnovers and a significant rebounding edge to defeat the Kentucky Christian University Knights, 96-87, snapping its 2-game skid in the process. With the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) win, the Cavaliers improved to 13-9 (11-8 AAC) this season.
 
Rebounding and three-point shooting buoyed the Cavs out to a 17-8 lead just over seven minutes into the contest. Darius Bryant banged home two of Montreat's four triples, and six different Cavaliers grabbed an offensive rebound as the hosts turned seven offensive boards into seven second-chance points.
 
Jamiel Wright buried Montreat's fifth 3-pointer midway through the half to hand Montreat it's first double-digit lead at 24-14. Tyler Rodrigue and Djongo-Alan Tchatchouang followed Wright's triple with their own a few minutes later, sparking a 14-0 run over 3:01 that suddenly surged the Cavs ahead by 21 points (38-17) with five minutes left in the half.
 
Montreat's defense also played a big role in vaulting the hosts in front of the visitors. With high-intensity on the defensive end of the floor, the Cavs forced misses on 16 of Kentucky Christian's first 22 shots overall and 12 of KCU's first 13 3-point tries. Defense also created five Knights turnovers through 15 minutes, which Montreat flipped into 10 points of its own.
 
Kentucky Christian (5-20, 5-16 AAC) closed the half well, outscoring the Cavaliers 17-6 over the final five minutes of the frame, but hosts still held a 10-point advantage at the break (44-34).
 
Montreat shot a solid 44.1 percent (15-34 FG) in the first half and 7-of-21 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc. On the other side, a strong close to the half brought KCU's overall shooting percentage up to 40.0 percent (12-30 FG) and its 3-point percentage up to 25.0 percent (4-16 3pt FG). The Cavs doubled up the Knights on the glass in the period, 25-12, which resulted in a 14-4 advantage in second-chance points. Montreat also translated six Knights turnovers into 12 points.
 
Rodrigue tied for a game-high 12 points at halftime, while Bryant joined him in double figures with 10 points. Mike Flenory registered a game-high six rebounds and four assists through 20 minutes of action.
 
KCU trimmed its gap to six points (46-40) right out of the gate, but it didn't take Montreat long to restore a double-digit advantage on the scoreboard. The Cavaliers utilized a 13-4 spurt over roughly four minutes to sprint ahead of the Knights 60-44 with 12:47 left in regulation. Jarden Maze notched a layup, a pair of free throws and a tip-in to cap off the 13-4 run.
 
The Knights showed plenty of fight on the night, and they managed to shave the Cavalier lead down to two possessions on four separate occasions down the stretch; however, every time the Knights closed the gap, the Cavs made just enough plays to keep the visitors at bay. Whether it was a 3-point basket, an offensive rebound or a trip to the free-throw line, Montreat held the visitors at arm's length.
 
Maze and Elochukwu Eze sealed the contest at the charity stripe, and the Cavaliers seized a 96-87 victory for their 13^th win of the season.
 
"I felt like we executed our gameplan really well," said head coach Anthony Barringer. "We wanted to dominate the boards, and we did. We wanted to share the ball, and we had 21 assists. I felt like we had too many turnovers, but we also were able to turn them over and execute on the other end."
 
Both sides shot similar percentages on the night, with the Cavaliers going 30-for-67 overall (44.8 percent), 11-of-34 from deep (32.4 percent) and 25-of-33 at the line (75.8 percent), and the Knights connecting on 45.3 percent of their shots (29-64 FG), 31.3 percent of their 3-point looks (10-32 3-pt FG) and 73.1 percent of their free-throw attempts (19-26 FT). The difference came with Montreat's effort translating turnovers into points and offensive rebounds into baskets. The Cavs accrued 10 steals and converted 16 KCU turnovers into 22 points, as well as 46 total rebounds and 17 offensive bounds into 25 second-chance points.
 
Maze led the Cavs with 21 points, notched a career and game-high five steals and grabbed nine rebounds. Flenory also hauled in nine boards, and he also handed out six assists. Bryant (16 points) Rodrigue (12 points) and Chris Moore (11 points) all joined Maze in double figures in scoring.
 
The Montreat men's basketball team hits the road for its penultimate away game of the season this Tuesday. Tipoff between the Cavaliers and the Truett McConnell University Bears is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Cleveland, Ga.