KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— The Montreat men's basketball team played its final road game of the 2023-24 regular season Wednesday night when it faced off against the Johnson University Royals in Knoxville, Tenn. When the final buzzer sounded, the Cavaliers landed on the wrong side of a 70-68 scoreline, sliding to 13-14 overall and 10-13 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play.
 
Michael Erbeck opened the scoring with a shot from beyond the arc, and RJ Manginello converted a fast break basket to hand the Cavs a quick 5-0 advantage merely 40 seconds into the matchup. A freshman from Houston, Texas, Manginello poured in another paint bucket before burying a 3-point shot to vault the visitors ahead, 15-8, nearly five minutes in.
 
Jamiel Wright drained a long-range look, and Collin Mills kept the Cavaliers on top by seven (22-15) with a jumper in the paint; however, the Royals swung momentum in their favor thanks to a 3:58 run. Johnson rattled off a 10-1 spurt for its initial lead of the night, sprinting in front of the visitors, 25-23.
 
While Gabriel Rivera and Jack Keller connected on back-to-back triples, and Elochukwu Eze and Dyllan Barnwell delivered consecutive paint buckets to move in front by five (33-28) with 2:17 remaining in the half, JU scored the final five points of the frame, leveling the matchup at 33-33 through 20 minutes of action.
 
Both teams shot similarly in the first half, with Montreat going 13-for-34 (38.2 percent) from the field and 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) from deep. Meanwhile, the Royals shot 37.5 percent overall (12-32 FG) and hit 27.8 percent of their 3-point attempts (5-18 3-pt FG). The Cavs registered more steals (5-1) than their counterpart, but JU owned a 24-11 edge in bench points. Eight different Cavaliers scored in the frame, with Manginello's seven points leading the way.
 
Johnson (15-11, 14-9 AAC) took the lead early in the second half and grew its advantage up to 49-40 via an 8-0 run seven minutes into the frame. Tyler Murray put a stop to the streak with a look from deep, starting a 9-1 run that ended with two Wright free throws and a 52-52 scoreline midway through period.
 
Keller's layup gave Montreat its first edge in the second half (61-60), and Rivera's basket through contact extended the edge to 66-64 with 3:00 to go. Despite retaking the lead late, the Royals fired off six consecutive points, which handed them a 70-66 advantage in the final minute. Wright halved the gap with a late jumper, but JU blocked the Cavs' attempted game-winning look, sealing a 70-68 win on its home floor.
 
The hosts won the rebounding battle (46-39) and totaled more offensive production from their bench (49-26). In the end, Johnson shot 41.5 percent (27-65 FG) from the floor and 33.3 percent (9-27 3-pt FG) from behind the arc. On the other side, Montreat went 27-for-66 (40.9 percent) overall and 10-of-30 (33.3 percent) from deep.
 
Manginello led the Cavaliers with 14 points, a career-best, while Erbeck (12 points) also scored in double figures. Eze snagged a team-high eight boards, and both Manginello and Keller dished out three assists.
 
The Montreat men's basketball team finishes up its 2023-24 regular season slate on Saturday when it hosts Truett McConnell University. Senior day festivities are slated to begin around 3:50 p.m., with tipoff following roughly 10 minutes later.