LAURINBURG, N.C.— Despite a lackluster offensive showing, defense helped the Montreat men's basketball team capture a 66-57 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) victory on the road versus the St. Andrews University Knights Wednesday night. With the triumph, the Cavs improved to 7-9 on the season and 5-8 in conference action.
 
St. Andrews (3-12, 1-12 AAC) capitalized on early Montreat turnovers and shooting struggles as the Knights commanded the first portion of the contest. The Cavaliers began the game 1-for-17 from the field while turning the ball over six times as the home side led 14-3 halfway through the initial frame.
 
Though the Cavs missed shots and gave away possessions, the visitors also forced six turnovers to remain within striking distance. Five different Cavaliers then contributed to a 16-5 run that saw Dyllan Barnwell tie the game at 19 with 5:07 left in the period. After five consecutive points from SAU, Collin Mills drained a 3-pointer to give Montreat its first lead of the matchup (25-24) with 2:14 to go until the intermission. Ultimately, the Knights seized a slim 29-28 edge at the break.
 
Michael Erbeck led the Cavaliers with eight points in the first half as eight separate players combined for the squad's 28 points. The Cavs shot 31.4 percent (11-35 FG) to SAU's 39.1 percent (9-23 FG), while making five of their 12 3-pointers (41.7 percent). The Knights knocked down three of their five first-half looks from deep (60.0 percent).
 
A bucket pushed the SAU advantage to 32-28; however, Montreat charged back on several occasions. In a second frame characterized by runs and lead changes, three quick flips saw the Cavaliers pull ahead 38-34.
 
Nine straight from the Knights then put the home side in front 43-38, but five points from RJ Manginello powered a 7-0 stretch by the Cavs, who held a 45-43 edge midway into the latter period. Following another 7-0 run, this time by St. Andrews, Montreat answered with a counterpunch that sealed the contest in its favor.
 
A 17-5 spurt fueled by transition baskets from steals, in addition to fadeaway turnaround jumpers from Mills and Tyler Murray, put the game on ice as the Cavaliers took a 62-55 lead with just 2:23 remaining. Montreat expanded its gap to double digits (66-56) before the buzzer sounded in the 9-point victory.
 
Ten Cavs scored in the road win, captained by Erbeck, who led the team in both scoring (15) and rebounding (7). Gabriel Rivera and Jack Keller each added 11 points, while Jamiel Wright contributed a team-high five assists to go with six rebounds.
 
Montreat made 45.2 percent of its attempts in the second half to shoot 39.7 percent overall (25-66 FG) and 37.5 percent from three (9-24 3-pt FG) as the Cavs outscored the Knights by 10 (38-28). Meanwhile, the Cavaliers held SAU to just seven second-half makes as the home side ended at 30.2 percent overall (16-53 FG) but 40.0 percent from long range (6-15 3-pt FG).
 
Men's basketball now hosts Columbia International University on Saturday at 4 p.m.