RIO GRANDE, Ohio— The Montreat men's basketball team made the trip north to the state of Ohio on Friday for a nonconference battle against the No. 23-ranked University of Rio Grande RedStorm. Searching for their first win versus a top-25 foe since Jan. 8, 2019, the Cavaliers jumped out to a big lead and never looked back. Montreat snagged an 82-65 triumph over the hosts and improved to 9-4 on the year.
 
Hoping to spring the upset, the visitors couldn't ask for a better first half. Four different Cavs scored during the initial 3:48, and back-to-back triples from Jack Keller and Jarden Maze built a 14-6 advantage through just over five minutes of action.
 
Dyllan Barnwell and Lawrence Cole provided production off the bench as the duo launched a swift 7-0 spurt that established a double-digit edge (23-13) nine minutes into the opening frame.
 
Rio Grande (9-2) tried to claw its way back, but every time it got within two possessions, another Cavalier drilled a look from deep. Keller sank a pair of triples, and consecutive blocks led to successive 3-point makes from RJ Manginello. Montreat ended the half on an 11-2 run, and it entered the break with a 47-32 lead.
 
Sensing the chance to close out a ranked win, the Cavs started the second half hot from the field. Montreat connected on five of its initial six shot attempts, and it maintained a 57-38 advantage merely 3:14 into the period. Still pushing the envelope, Maze went on a 7-0 run across 73 seconds a little later in the frame. The Sandersville, Ga. native's effort ultimately created the largest lead of the night (64-40) with 13:47 to go.
 
Fighting back on their home court, the RedStorm utilized a 10-0 run and an 8-0 stretch to pull within single digits (73-65) at the 3:32 mark; however, the gap proved too much to overcome. Maze halted the spurt with a basket, AJ Baskerville added a pair of free throws and Keller nailed two looks from the floor to close out the ballgame.
 
Montreat concluded the contest on a 9-0 run, and it secured its first win over a ranked opponent in nearly six years thanks to an 82-65 victory.

"Really happy for our guys," said head coach Anthony Barringer. "They prepared to win, believed that they were going to win and took ownership of the moment. The day we started this scout, they took the reins and said how they wanted to defend different actions—different people—and brought that to game day."
 
The Cavaliers displayed efficiency on the offensive end of the floor all night. Montreat went 29-for-59 overall (49.2 percent), 9-of-22 from beyond the arc (40.9 percent) and 15-for-19 at the free-throw line (78.9 percent). Not to be outdone, the Cavs' defense limited Rio Grande to 37.3 percent shooting overall (25-67 FG) and 22.7 percent from 3-point range (5-22 3-pt FG). The visitors notched more rebounds (39-35) and assists (13-11) than their counterparts.
 
Maze paced all players with 23 points and four assists. Baskerville hauled down a game-best nine boards to go along with his 12 points. Keller (18 points) and Manginello (10 points) also reached double figures in scoring.
 
Montreat remains in the Buckeye State tomorrow afternoon for another out-of-conference matchup, this time against Ohio Christian University. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. in Circleville, Ohio.