KINGSPORT, Tenn.— Adding a pair of Thanksgiving weekend matchups to its schedule, the Montreat women's basketball team played the first of those two contests on Friday against the Brescia University Bearcats at the annual holiday invitational known as The Show. Battling at the Marriott MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport, Tenn., the Cavaliers improved to 5-3 on the year thanks to a solid 64-56 triumph on a neutral court.
 
Five different Cavs notched a bucket during the opening minutes of the ballgame as Montreat seized a 10-7 lead with 3:19 remaining in the initial frame. Virginia Edmondson and Rymiah Sanders each knocked down a pair of free throws, and Katie Alexander drained a triple to establish a double-digit edge (17-7) with just 45 seconds to go in the period. Brescia (7-2) snagged a basket late in the quarter, but the Cavaliers forced seven turnovers to help maintain a 17-9 lead through 10 minutes.
 
The Bearcats controlled the second frame by holding Montreat to 3-for-14 shooting (21.4 percent) during the quarter. Vaniyah Petty recorded two of those baskets and six of the Cavs' eight points, but BU erased its deficit and leveled the score at 25 heading into the halftime break.
 
Sanders and Ayanna Varela took over the third quarter, powering the Cavaliers to a 23-9 advantage across the 10-minute period. A native of Durham, N.C., Sanders poured in Montreat's initial seven points. The sophomore ultimately scored 12 points in the frame, while Varela added six of her own. As a squad, the Cavs created 10 turnovers during the third, and they grew their largest lead of the day (48-32) before eventually entering the fourth on top, 48-34.
 
Still with plenty of fight left in them, the Bearcats didn't go away quietly. A 17-5 spurt slashed Montreat's lead down to just two points at 53-51 with 2:48 remaining in the out-of-conference contest; however, Varela halted Brescia's momentum with four swift points, and the Cavaliers closed out the matchup with seven free throws across the final 2:08. When the final buzzer sounded, Montreat left the floor with a 64-56 victory.
 
"Games are full of runs, and we've been putting a lot of focus on responding when the other team goes on theirs," said head coach Jamie Moore. "Our team responded well to the runs and adversity today. Ayanna Varela had a breakout game, and Rymiah Sanders had a big-time second half to lead us to the win. It wasn't pretty, but I'm proud of our group for pushing through."
 
The Cavs owned a slight edge in all three shooting categories as they went 20-for-56 overall (35.7 percent), 5-for-21 from beyond the arc (23.8 percent) and 19-for-25 at the line (76.0 percent). Meanwhile, Montreat held the Bearcats' offensive effort to just 32.1 percent overall (17-53 FG), 20.0 percent from deep (3-15 3-pt FG) and 65.5 percent at the charity stripe (19-29 FT). The Bearcats won the rebounding battle (45-33), but the Cavaliers forced 11 more turnovers (31-20).
 
Sanders paced all players with 21 points, and she also led her squad with six rebounds. Varela registered a career-best 11 points, while Edmondson also contributed 11 on the offensive end. Edmondson matched her career high with seven steals, and Alexander racked up five assists.
 
Montreat wraps up its weekend at The Show tomorrow night with a late nonconference game versus Shawnee State University. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. in Kingsport, Tenn.