WALESKA, Ga.— The Montreat women's basketball team fell short in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) competition against the Reinhardt University Eagles in Georgia Saturday afternoon. With a 69-54 scoreline, the Cavaliers dropped to 16-11 overall and 13-8 in AAC action on the year.
Six early points from
Rymiah Sanders and a swift 9-0 run powered Montreat out to an 11-4 edge midway into the first quarter. Seven free throw makes coupled with four points off turnovers helped the Cavs out to an advantage; however, the Eagles closed the gap to two (17-15) through 10 minutes.
Thirteen straight points going back to the end of the initial frame aided Reinhardt (24-1, 20-1 AAC) to a 23-17 advantage early in the second period as RU connected on six consecutive shots. Three straight baskets from Montreat, including four points from
Madison Cole, trimmed the Cavalier deficit to three (29-26) with 3:23 remaining until the half, but a 9-0 run by the Eagles allowed the home team to lead 38-26 at the intermission.
Reinhardt made 10 of 13 shots in the second quarter to shoot 56.0 percent in the opening half, while the Cavs made 45.0 percent (9) of their 20 tries. Sanders led the team with eight first-half points, and
Virginia Edmondson added seven to go with three rebounds and three steals.
A field goal drought by the Cavaliers enabled the home side to grow its edge in the third frame. Typically a solid third-quarter team, Montreat made just two shots as the Eagles converted on seven of their 12 looks to outscore the Cavs 15-6 in the period and go up by 21 (53-32) with 10 minutes to play.
Looking to make a charge in the final frame, the Cavaliers tallied their best offensive quarter of the day by scoring 22 points. Ten consecutive points, including seven from Edmondson, brought Montreat within 11 (53-42) with 6:42 on the clock. The Cavs then knocked down eight of their last 10 shots in the contest; however, Reinhardt secured its double-digit victory with five buckets on its last six attempts from the field.
Edmondson finished with 17 points, and Sanders concluded with 16. Edmondson and
Cierra Lail each grabbed four rebounds, while
Aebri Graham ended with a team-best three assists. Edmondson notched five steals in the defeat.
As a team, the Cavaliers shot 19-of-42 from the field (45.2 percent) and 4-for-13 from deep (30.8 percent) compared to RU's 54.0 percent effort overall (27-50 FG) and 37.5 percent showing from three (6-16 3-pt FG). The Eagles held advantages in rebounds (26-17), points in the paint (38-28) and assists (11-5), while the Cavs claimed edges in turnovers forced (16-14), points off turnovers (18-11) and steals (9-7).
Women's basketball rounds out its regular-season slate at Johnson University on Wednesday. Tipoff in Knoxville, Tenn. is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
