MONTREAT, N.C.— Playing its third straight game inside McAlister Gymnasium Saturday afternoon, the Montreat women's basketball team continued to exhibit its winning brand of basketball as it hosted the Kentucky Christian University Knights in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) clash. Not only did the Cavaliers capture their fifth consecutive triumph thanks to an 85-57 win over KCU, but they also improved to 12-7 overall, 9-4 in AAC matchups and 9-2 at home.
 
Cierra Lail drilled a jumper on the Cavs' initial possession of the day, and the hosts never looked back. A swift 9-0 spurt, seven of which came following Knights' turnovers, put Montreat in firm control early. Rymiah Sanders notched five quick points as the Cavaliers ultimately seized a 12-1 lead less than three minutes into the matchup. Nine trips to the free-throw line allowed KCU to remain within shouting distance, but eight Montreat players scored in the first quarter, and a substantial 11-1 edge in points off turnovers aided the home team in claiming a 23-13 advantage after one frame of play.
 
Virginia Edmondson cashed in on a pair of free throws, and both Vaniyah Petty and Madison Cole tacked on baskets in the paint to push the Cavs' lead out to 15 (29-14) merely 3:01 into the second quarter. While the Knights rattled off eight consecutive points to pull within 29-22, buckets from Lail, Aebri Graham and Petty powered a 10-2 response that re-established the hosts' 15-point lead (39-24). Kentucky Christian hit a free throw late in the quarter, but Montreat still held a 39-25 advantage on the scoreboard at halftime.
 
The Cavaliers shot 45.5 percent (15-33 FG) in the first half, including a 4-for-13 (30.8 percent) showing from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the visiting Knights went just 8-for-25 (32.0 percent) from the floor and connected on only one of their six 3-point attempts (16.7 percent). Montreat committed just three turnovers compared to KCU's 14, and it capitalized on those extra possessions to the tune of an 18-3 edge in points off turnovers. Six Cavs scored at least five points in the first half, led by Edmondson with seven. Four Montreat athletes collected a trio of rebounds, and Katie Alexander led all players with four first-half assists.
 
Wasting no time in its quest to put the game away, Montreat crafted a 51-31 lead midway through the third quarter as Lail, Edmondson and Sanders combined for all 12 Cavalier points. A pair of Adrianna Gullette buckets in the paint bookended five points from Cole, which allowed the hosts to extend their lead up to 24 points (60-36). Kentucky Christian drained a 3-pointer in the frame's closing seconds, but Montreat entered the final quarter with a comfortable 60-39 lead.
 
Kentucky Christian (4-14, 2-11 AAC) utilized an 11-2 run dating back to the final shot of the third frame to trim its deficit to 62-47; however, it couldn't match Cole's energy on both ends of the floor. During a career night, Cole registered back-to-back buckets to slow KCU's momentum. The freshman from Gastonia, N.C. also snagged five boards while tallying a block and a steal in the fourth quarter alone, which halted any thoughts of a Knights comeback. Three straight buckets in the final three minutes saw the Cavs not only record their largest lead of the night, but also finish off a wire-to-wire 85-57 triumph.
 
"This was a great team win today," said head coach Josh Thompson. "We got in some early foul trouble, but our bench really stepped it up and played well. Overall, I thought we got contributions from a lot of players."
 
An efficient 45.3 percent (34-75 FG) showing from the field coupled with a 30.4 percent (7-23 3-pt FG) effort from deep powered the Cavaliers to their lopsided conference win. The Knights improved on both their overall (40.4 percent; 19-47 FG) and 3-point (31.3 percent; 5-for-16 3-pt FG) shooting performances, but they couldn't overcome a significant 31-8 turnover disparity that resulted in Montreat owning a 38-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
Edmondson led all players with 17 points, while Cole accrued career highs in both points (15) and rebounds (11) en route to her first collegiate double-double. Sanders also scored in double figures with 12 points, and Lail poured in a career-high 10 points to go along with five boards. Alexander contributed five assists, which matched the game-high mark.
 
The Montreat women's basketball team wraps up its 4-game homestand on Wednesday with a conference battle against Tennessee Wesleyan University. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. in Montreat, N.C.