PIKEVILLE, Ky.— Continuing its road trip away from North Carolina, the Montreat men's basketball team played the University of Pikeville Bears in Kentucky Thursday night. Despite leading by 11 in the first half and making a run to close the Bears' edge in the latter half, Montreat slipped to 5-9 overall and 3-8 in Appalachian Athletic Conference play with a 99-94 defeat.
 
Montreat connected on seven of its initial 13 looks from the field to lead 16-11 six minutes into the contest. Tyler Murray and Jarden Maze each notched five points, while Dyllan Barnwell added four to help the visitors to a 5-point edge early in the competition.
 
Two more layups from Barnwell then extended the advantage to nine midway through the frame as the Weaverville, N.C. native tallied back-to-back baskets to make it 24-15. Collin Mills eventually gave the Cavaliers their largest lead of the game when he pushed the gap to 11 (29-18) with 7:26 remaining in the half.
 
Despite the hot start from the Cavs, Pikeville (12-4, 10-2 AAC) answered with an 18-4 stretch that flipped the script and handed the home side a 36-33 edge. Though a pair of buckets from Mills aided Montreat to a 40-39 lead, UPIKE ended the first frame on an 8-0 run to go up by seven (47-40) at the intermission.
 
Barnwell (10), Maze (8) and Mills (6) led the scoring for the Cavaliers, who shot 51.5 percent (17-33 FG) in the half, while Michael Erbeck grabbed a team-high four boards over the opening 20 minutes.
 
After the Bears matched the Cavs' largest advantage within the initial minute of the second period, Barnwell and Jack Keller combined for five points to trim the team's deficit to six (51-45). The gap hovered from six to 10 points for the ensuing five minutes of the matchup before five quick points from Erbeck allowed Montreat to pull within three (66-63) 7:01 into the half.
 
Seven straight from UPIKE brought the deficit back to double digits, and Pikeville went on to lead by 13 (81-68) halfway through the second period. Undeterred when facing their largest uphill battle of the night, the Cavaliers began securing offensive boards and drawing fouls to climb back into the contest. Barnwell, who captained the team with nine rebounds, snatched eight offensive boards to give the Cavs additional opportunities.
 
Although the visitors trailed by 13 with six minutes to go, Barnwell, Maze, Mills and Gabriel Rivera spearheaded a 13-1 run over 2:25 that brought Montreat within one possession with 3:21 left in the game. Maze turned steals into layups, while Barnwell created second-chance tries with offensive rebounds during the stretch. Ultimately, the Bears responded both times the Cavs came within a possession despite the visitors securing a 16-8 advantage in second-chance points to seal their 5-point victory.
 
Mills scored 15 of his season-high 21 points in the second half to lead the Cavaliers, while Barnwell finished with a career-best 18 points and his team-high nine rebounds. Maze poured in 15 points to end as the other Cav in double digits.
 
Overall, UPIKE shot 54.1 percent (33-61 FG) to Montreat's 51.5 percent (34-66 FG), made 46.2 percent of its 3-point looks (6-13 3-pt FG) to the Cavaliers' 40.0 percent (6-15 3-pt FG) and shot 79.4 percent at the line (27-34 FT) to the Cavs' 69.0 percent (20-29 FT). A 17-9 edge in offensive boards and a 10-rebound gap in the second half saw Montreat win the rebounding battle 39-29, but Pikeville converted 12 turnovers into a 22-12 win in points off turnovers.
 
Montreat men's basketball attempts to bounce back on Saturday when the Cavaliers host Bluefield University. Tipoff inside McAlister Gymnasium is slated for 4 p.m.