MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat men's basketball team faced off against the Truett McConnell University Bears for the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) and regular season finale inside McAlister Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. Five Cavaliers ended in double figures in scoring as Montreat concluded the regular season with a 94-79 triumph on Senior Day, improving to 14-14 overall and 11-13 in the AAC in the process.
 
Jamiel Wright scored seven quick points as the Cavs led by four (7-3) in the early going. After Truett McConnell (11-17, 9-15 AAC) took a 10-9 edge, the Cavaliers answered with five points from Tyler Murray and four from RJ Manginello put the home side ahead 18-14 midway through the opening half.
 
TMU responded to lead 22-18; however, another run by Montreat pushed the Cavs in front once more. Jack Keller scored seven straight for the team over a span of 1:36 to make it 25-23 with 5:53 remaining in the period. Two ties followed, but a 14-3 stretch culminating in a 3-point buzzer-beater from Michael Erbeck helped the Cavaliers to a 41-30 edge at the intermission.
 
Another run to start the second frame put the contest away as Montreat utilized back-to-back 3-pointers at the beginning of the half to go up 17 (47-30). From there, the Cavs extended their stretch to 20-6 thanks to strict defense that led to easy baskets in transition. The Cavaliers, who forced 10 second-half miscues from the Bears, tallied four during a span of 1:09, which enabled the home team to expand its advantage to 25 (61-36) with 13:22 left on the clock.
 
Over the ensuing several minutes, both sides battled back and forth before Demba Sakho gave the Cavs their largest lead of the day (26; 82-56) with just 5:56 to go. Though Truett McConnell trimmed the gap to 15 at the final horn, the Cavaliers held on with relative ease, coasting to their 94-79 result.
 
Wright captained all players with 22 points, while Keller (14) and Erbeck (13) followed the Atlanta native's lead. Collin Mills (12) and Murray (10) also concluded in double figures in scoring as 11 different Cavs notched points in the matchup. CamRon Sias and Elochukwu Eze each grabbed a game-high eight rebounds as Montreat outrebounded its counterpart 50-35, including 18 offensive boards. Dallas Culbreath led the squad with three assists, Eze blocked a game-best three shots and Sias picked up a contest-most five steals.
 
Overall, the Cavaliers knocked down 34 of their 76 shot attempts (44.7 percent) and went 11-for-30 from deep (36.7 percent). On the other side, the Bears hit 40.0 percent of their looks (24-60 FG) and just 28.6 percent of 3-point shots (6-21 3-pt FG). Both squads connected on 62.5 percent of their free throws, with Montreat going 15-for-24 at the line and TMU making 25 of 40. Thanks to edges in steals and offensive rebounds, the Cavs held an 18-9 lead in points off turnovers and a 15-3 lead in second-chance points.
 
"That was fun. I'm glad we were able to send our seniors away with a win," noted head coach Anthony Barringer. "Kudos to all of our guys from top to bottom. Our effort and energy were great and I'm excited to see what happens in the tournament," Barringer mentioned.
 
Men's basketball now turns its attention to the AAC Tournament at the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport, Tenn., where the Cavaliers will compete in the first round on Wednesday. Tipoff time between the No. 9-seeded Cavaliers and the No. 8 seed, the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs, is slated for 11 a.m.