MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat women's basketball team faced the Kentucky Christian University Knights for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest inside McAlister Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. Thanks to a career day from Mariya Williams, the Cavaliers cruised to a 75-49 triumph and improved to 15-7 (13-7 AAC) on the season.
 
Williams started the contest with the first six points for the Cavs, while also grabbing six boards in the opening five minutes of the game. Though the Knights held a slim lead, an 18-3 run aided by four KCU turnovers and a 12-3 points off turnovers advantage sprinted Montreat ahead 22-11 through 10 minutes thanks to 13 extra shot attempts and 10 offensive rebounds. Williams scored 10 points and tallied eight rebounds in the first quarter alone.
 
The Cavaliers continued to control the glass in the second frame, resulting in additional shot attempts and made field goals. Efficiency on offense and strict defense ballooned the Montreat lead out to 20 after the Cavs drained the first nine points of the quarter. Following a Kentucky Christian basket, the home side rattled off another nine straight points, resulting in a 27-point edge (40-13) with just 1:38 to go in the half. Williams, Adrianna Gullette and Makayla Thompson combined for 16 of the 20 points as the Cavaliers outscored the visitors by 16 en route to a 42-15 halftime lead.
 
Montreat attempted 17 more shots due to a 26-12 rebounding advantage, including 11 offensive boards, and 12 forced turnovers to KCU's three. The Cavs made 44.7 percent (17-38 FG) of their shots compared to the Knights' mere 28.6 percent (6-21 FG) clip and knocked down 44.4 percent (4-9 3-pt FG) of their attempts from deep to Kentucky Christian's 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) performance. 
 
Williams (9-15 FG) ended the first half with a double-double, tallying a game-best 18 points and 10 rebounds. Gullette added 12 points and Thompson registered a game-high four assists.
 
"It was definitely about hustle today. I put my all into it, fought for every board and wanted to go back up strong," mentioned Williams on her performance.
 
Though the Knights charged at the beginning of the third to pull within 20, a scoreless stretch of three minutes coupled with 3-pointers from Tatiyana Cannon and Thompson extended the edge back out to 26 (50-24) midway through the frame. In the low-scoring quarter, Thompson splashed home a three to reestablish a 27-point advantage (55-28) with one period remaining.
 
Similar to the third quarter, KCU (12-11, 9-10 AAC) utilized press defense to create turnovers and hold Montreat off the board for a stretch of over three minutes, while going on an 11-2 run that trimmed the gap to 18 (57-39) 3:33 into the last frame. Despite the drought, the Cavaliers closed out the contest with a plethora of free-throw makes to secure the 75-49 victory.
 
Williams concluded the afternoon with a massive 31-point, 23-rebound double-double, marking a career-best in both points and rebounds. The Charlotte, N.C. native connected on 11 of her 20 tries overall and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds to round out her impressive contest. Gullette contributed with 17 points, and Thompson added 15. Thompson notched six steals and four assists, while Gullette recorded five steals and five assists.
 
"Mariya [Williams] had a special game today. She was dominant while she was on the floor," said head coach Josh Thompson. "As a team, I'm pleased with how our defense is improving. I hope we can continue to improve down the stretch."
 
In the end, the Cavaliers used 26 offensive rebounds and a 53-26 rebounding advantage to pull away. Though Montreat hit at a lower percentage (34.8 percent) than KCU (37.8 percent), the Cavs took 24 more attempts, leading to a 19-4 edge in second-chance points. The home team went 7-for-26 from deep (26.9 percent) to the visitors' 22.2 percent (4-18 3-pt FG) effectiveness from beyond the arc, while turning the Knights over 24 times to the Cavaliers' 16 turnovers.
 
When asked about her 30-20 performance, Williams noted, "It was exciting. I've never done that before so it's cool to have it happen in my senior year and go out with a bang."
 
Women's basketball now heads to Truett McConnell University on Tuesday for another conference matchup. Tipoff in Cleveland, Ga. is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.