MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat men's basketball team returned to McAlister Gymnasium Saturday afternoon for its penultimate home game of the 2023-24 season, an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) showdown versus the Bryan College Lions. As the two sides battled for supremacy on the court, the visitors utilized a dominant second half to slide past the Cavaliers, 80-68, dropping the hosts' record to 12-12 (9-11 AAC) in the process.
Montreat scored in bunches early in the first half as
Gabriel Rivera poured in the Cavs' initial five points, and
RJ Manginello notched the ensuing five to build a 10-4 lead over the Lions merely 3:16 into the matchup. After Bryan closed the gap to 10-9,
Dyllan Barnwell utilized a putback to push the lead out to three, and
Jamiel Wright recorded a stretch of 10 straight Montreat points to capture the Cavaliers' largest lead of the night, 22-13, with 8:37 left in the opening half.
Bryan (14-10, 12-9 AAC) got off to a slow start from the field, but it never quit pushing. That perseverance paid off as the visitors hit seven of their final 10 looks from the field, and they scored the final five points of the frame to trail by just one (35-34) at halftime.
Wright led all players with 12 points prior to the intermission, while four different Cavs grabbed exactly four boards. The home side dominated the rebounding battle through 20 minutes, maintaining a 26-12 edge overall and a 7-0 advantage on the offensive glass; however, BC made up significant ground thanks to an 11-2 edge in points off turnovers. Both teams shot slightly over 40.0 percent, with Montreat holding the slim advantage overall (42.9-40.6) and from deep (25.0-21.4).
The Cavaliers never trailed in the first half, but that changed on the initial possession during the latter frame. Bryan scored on its first two trips down the floor, jumping ahead of the hosts by three points (38-35). The Lions extended their run that began late in the first up to 15-2, which shifted a 35-29 deficit into a 44-37 lead less than four minutes into the new half.
Tyler Murray proved responsible for seven straight Cav points midway through the frame, but it wasn't enough to slow BC's momentum. A 6-0 spurt allowed the visiting Lions to surge ahead by 14 points (60-46) with 7:35 left in regulation, and the Cavaliers couldn't trim their deficit to less than 10 the remainder of the way. In the end, Bryan left McAlister Gymnasium with an 80-68 AAC triumph.
Behind a 17-for-29 effort in the second half, the Lions pushed their shooting performance up to 49.2 percent (30-61 FG) overall and 32.0 percent (8-25 3-pt FG) from beyond the arc. BC also went 12-for-15 (80.0 percent) from the free-throw line. On the other side, Montreat went 27-of-64 (42.2 percent) from the floor and 10-for-32 (31.3 percent) from 3-point range. The Cavaliers attempted just five free throws, and Bryan racked up more points off turnovers (25-14).
Wright led the Cavs with 15 points, while Rivera and Murray contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively. Manginello added a career-high 12 points as the fourth Montreat player in double figures. Three Cavaliers snatched six rebounds, and Rivera dished out two assists.
The Montreat men's basketball team starts a 3-game road stretch on Wednesday at Milligan University. Tipoff between the AAC rivals is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Milligan, Tenn.
