COLUMBIA, S.C.— The Montreat women's basketball team collected its eighth consecutive win with an emphatic 80-40 triumph over the Columbia International University Rams on the road Wednesday evening, improving to 15-7 overall and 12-4 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) competitions for the 2023-24 season. The 8-game winning streak is the longest such streak in the program since 2011-12.
 
Offense clicked early as Rymiah Sanders and Virginia Edmondson combined for an 11-0 run to start the contest. Following a technical foul that handed CIU its first points of the game, the Cavaliers kept their opposition without a field goal make for the first six minutes. Montreat, using a distinct shooting advantage by making eight of 15 tries, including five 3-pointers, to the Rams' 1-for-12 performance, closed the period with its largest lead to that point at 22-6.
 
Turnovers plagued both offenses in the second frame, with the Cavs surrendering seven possessions. Though Columbia International (4-15, 3-14 AAC) outscored the visitors 12-11 in the quarter, Montreat increased its edge to as many as 17 points thanks to triples from Aebri Graham and Edmondson. Eventually the Cavaliers went into the intermission with a 33-18 lead.
 
Edmondson captained a Cavs team that shot 11-for-27 (40.7 percent) in the opening half with 10 points of her own. Montreat made a living from behind the 3-point arc, hitting seven of 14 looks through 20 minutes. Grace Rinaldo led the Cavaliers, who had a 21-15 lead on the glass, with four first-half rebounds. Meanwhile, CIU shot just 23.1 percent (6-26 FG) without a make on eight 3-pointers entering the latter half of the competition.
 
After the Rams began the third period by closing the gap to 12 (33-21), the Cavs responded in a major way. Six points from Edmondson, five from Katie Alexander and contributions from four other Cavaliers powered a 20-0 stretch over six minutes that saw the Cavaliers go up 55-23 with just 57 seconds left in the frame. Montreat's defense held CIU without a point for 6:33 and without a made basket for 8:45 as the visitors led 58-27 with 10 minutes remaining in the matchup.
 
A 15-4 run by the Cavs added 11 more points to their edge before Montreat went up by 44 points with only 2:08 on the clock. In the end, the Cavaliers doubled up the Rams 80-40 thanks to efficient scoring and prominent defense.
 
"This was a great road win for us. It was a full team effort with everyone contributing in some way. I'm really proud of how hard we played tonight," said head coach Josh Thompson on the win.
 
Overall, the visitors grabbed distinct advantages in most statistical categories including shooting percentage (46.2 to 18.5), 3-point percentage (50.0 to 6.7), rebounds (43-30), assists (15-2) and steals (11-5) in the rout. Four Cavaliers ended in double figures in scoring, led by Edmondson with 21. Adrianna Gullette and Alexander each contributed 11 points, while Madison Cole scored six in the fourth quarter to finish with 10 points. Vaniyah Petty hauled in a team-high eight rebounds. Eleven Cavaliers made a basket and nine different Cavs notched at least one rebound in the victory.
 
Women's basketball looks to extend its impressive streak when the Cavaliers host Johnson University on Saturday. Tipoff inside McAlister Gymnasium between the Cavs and the Royals is expected at 2 p.m.