BLUEFIELD, Va.— The Montreat women's basketball team tipped off a five-game road trip Wednesday evening with an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) showdown against the Bluefield University Rams. Searching for their first win in Bluefield, Va. since 2012, the Cavaliers capitalized on a dominant second quarter to register that elusive victory via a 67-58 final and improve to 3-2 (2-1 AAC) this season.
 
Rymiah Sanders picked up where she left off as the reigning AAC Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week. The Durham, N.C. native scored or assisted on the visitors' initial 11 points, and she buried a pair of triples during an 8-0 run that put the Cavs on top, 16-14, with 1:20 remaining in the quarter. Despite Sanders' 11 points in the period, Bluefield (0-5, 0-3 AAC) answered late in the frame to own a 17-16 edge through one quarter of play.
 
Montreat's defense dominated the second frame as the Cavaliers held the hosts to just four points on 2-of-18 (11.1 percent) shooting. Maddie Ferrara and Virginia Edmondson drilled shots from beyond the arc, while Ania Sands, Cierra Lail and Katie Alexander also scored in the period. As a result, the Cavs possessed a 28-21 advantage entering the halftime break.
 
Karis Alexander and Edmondson notched back-to-back layups within seconds of each other to establish the game's initial double-digit lead (32-21) merely one minute into the third quarter. Later, following a Ferrara 3-pointer, Edmondson and Sanders took over. The Cavalier duo combined to tally the visitors' final 14 points in the frame, swiftly ballooning the lead to 49-34. Montreat ultimately closed out the third quarter on top, 49-38.
 
Eleven Rams' fouls resulted in 16 Cavs' free-throw attempts in the last frame on Wednesday. Sanders (6 points), Katie Alexander (5 points) and Karis Alexander (5 points) supplied nearly all the visitors' offense during the fourth, which prevented BU from ever trimming the gap to fewer than six points. When the final buzzer sounded, Montreat claimed a 67-58 triumph, its first at Bluefield since Feb. 8, 2012.

"Our team came out and executed our game plan," said head coach Jamie Moore. "We stayed true to our strength in defense and transition and keyed in on their biggest threats. We had some big shots by Virginia and Rymiah tonight, and Katie is really settling in from volleyball and helping distribute at the point guard position."
 
The Cavaliers shot significantly better than the Rams throughout the course of 40 minutes. Overall, Montreat went 22-for-55 (40.0 percent) from the floor and 10-for-22 (45.5 percent) from deep. Meanwhile, Bluefield made just 28.3 percent (17-60 FG) of its look from the field and 25.0 percent (3-12 3-pt FG) from beyond the arc. The Cavs controlled the glass (41-29) in addition to their shooting efficiency.
 
Sanders and Edmondson each totaled 21 points to lead the way offensively for all players. Katie Alexander hauled in a game-high and career-best 13 rebounds, and she also matched her career high with five assists. Edmondson and Sanders each recorded three assists.
 
Montreat resumes its road trip on Saturday with an AAC battle versus Tennessee Wesleyan University. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. in Athens, Tenn.