MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat women's basketball team faced off against the Bluefield University Rams inside McAlister Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. In the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup, the Cavaliers came away with a dominant 92-41 victory, improving to 8-7 (5-4 AAC) on the season.
 
After Bluefield (2-15, 2-10 AAC) notched the opening points of the contest, Virginia Edmondson quickly turned the tide with five straight to give the Cavs an early lead. Though the score sat at 5-4 midway through the quarter, back-to-back threes from Katie Alexander coupled with baskets from Aebri Graham and Cierra Lail pushed the Montreat edge to 16-9 through 10 minutes.
 
The Cavaliers then utilized 3-point shooting and transition baskets to build a sizeable advantage by outscoring the Rams 29-6 in the second period. Following another two makes from deep, the Cavs connected on five of six field goals, including three from Lail, to bring the score to 27-10 just moments into the second frame. Edmondson knocked down two 3-pointers and Montreat scored five of six shots in transition to lead 45-15 at the half.
 
Edmondson led all players with 17 points, while Alexander added 11 as the home side shot 42.5 percent (17-40 FG) on 15 more shot attempts than Bluefield. The Cavaliers also drained nine of 19 looks from beyond the arc (47.4 percent) in the initial half. Lail captained the team in rebounding (7) and blocks (3), and Adrianna Gullette contributed a team-high four assists.
 
Montreat continued to roll in the second half. Following five points from BU, the Cavaliers rattled off a 13-4 run, and then another 7-0 stretch powered the home team to a 67-29 edge. With 10 minutes to play, the Cavs led by 34 (67-33).
 
Ten different Cavaliers made a basket in the competition as Montreat pulled away even further in the fourth. The Cavs forced 23 turnovers and only surrendered six possessions themselves, resulting in a 28-0 advantage in points off turnovers. Montreat used those Bluefield miscues to create transition opportunities, outscoring its opposition 33-2 in fast-break points.
 
In the final frame, Ania Sands scored eight points, while Alaina McPherson secured seven rebounds and added six points. Edmondson finished with a game-best 25 points and a team-high five assists, and Alexander tallied a career-high 16 points to go with a team-high four steals. Graham tied her career-best scoring output with 15 points as the Cavs led by as many as 51 points in the lopsided 92-41 triumph. Lail led the Cavaliers with nine boards.

"It was great to be back home today and get the win," said head coach Josh Thompson. "It really helped to have Adrianna Gullette and Triniti Lockhart back and available to play. We also got great contributions from the bench. Katie Alexander and Alaina McPherson gave us good energy and played really well," Thompson noted.
 
Overall, Montreat converted on 42.9 percent of its looks (36-84 FG) and attempted 31 more shots than Bluefield (14-53 FG; 26.4 percent). The Cavaliers also knocked down 42.5 percent of their 40 3-pointers (17-40 3-pt FG) compared to the Rams' 2-for-10 effort from deep (20.0 percent). Due to the one-sided scoreline, the Cavs led nearly every statistical category, including rebounds (48-43), assists (23-5), steals (16-4) and blocks (6-3).
 
Women's basketball now has an exhibition versus Western Carolina University tomorrow afternoon. Tipoff in Cullowhee, N.C. is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m.