ASHEVILLE, N.C.— Looking for its fourth consecutive win, the Montreat men's basketball team played host to the Reinhardt University Eagles Saturday evening for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup inside Kimmel Arena. While 40 minutes wasn't enough to determine a winner, the Cavaliers dominated their opponents in overtime to secure a 102-93 victory. With the triumph, the hosts improved to 13-5 (7-3 AAC).
 
Jarden Maze, RJ Manginello and Jack Keller each drained a look from beyond the arc during the opening three minutes of the initial half. Then, Maze went on an 8-0 run as he built a 17-7 Montreat lead nearly six minutes into the contest.
 
Reinhardt (8-8, 5-4 AAC) managed to chip away at its early deficit, and it eventually leveled the score at 31-31 with 6:38 remaining in the frame. The Eagles captured their first lead less than 60 seconds later, and they capitalized on all their momentum with a 7-0 spurt and a 45-36 edge late in the period.
 
Keller knocked down a jumper to conclude the first half's scoring, but the home team still trailed the visitors by seven (45-38) at the break.
 
Feeling good as the second half began, RU continued to push the Cavs to their limits. Merely four minutes into the latter frame, the Eagles owned a 57-45 advantage on the scoreboard.
 
Maze, who set his Montreat career-high in points with 35, quickly cut into Reinhardt's lead by scoring eight of the Cavaliers' next nine points. Chris Moore's layup then slashed the gap to just 59-56 with 11:07 left in regulation.
 
Neither team led by more than six points across the final 11:45 of the second half; however, Reinhardt didn't surrender its edge until Keller's bucket with three minutes remaining knotted the game at 72-72. Keller then seized Montreat's first lead of the period, a 78-76 advantage, with 54 seconds left.
 
Needing heroics late, the Eagles forced overtime thanks to an and-one in the contest's closing seconds.
 
Reinhardt jumped in front, 84-83, merely 34 seconds into overtime, but the rest of the extra frame belonged to Montreat. Four Cavaliers—Manginello, Keller, Lawrence Cole and Maze—combined for a 13-0 run across 2:58. With only 1:14 left, the hosts sat firmly in the driver's seat behind a 96-84 lead. When the showdown finally ended, the Cavs snagged a 102-93 victory.
 
"Toughness, enthusiasm, effort, attitude—that's our culture, and that's who we are," said head coach Anthony Barringer. "We have 15 points and 10 rebounds missing tonight in AJ Baskerville, and all we did for 45 minutes was display toughness, enthusiasm, effort and attitude. I'm incredibly proud of those young men. They continue to amaze me daily. We still have a long way to go, but man, those dudes fought and earned that win. They paid their mortgage today."
 
The Eagles finished the night with better shooting percentages, going 34-for-75 from the floor (45.3 percent), 12-for-31 from deep (38.7 percent) and 13-for-16 at the charity stripe (81.3 percent). Meanwhile, Montreat shot 42.9 percent overall (33-77 FG), 34.6 percent from beyond the arc (9-26 3-pt FG) and 77.1 percent at the line (27-35 FT). Along with 14 additional made free throws, the Cavaliers also grabbed more rebounds (47-40) and notched more points in the paint (44-30) than RU.
 
Maze led all scorers with 35 points as he came within one point of his collegiate career high. The Sandersville, Ga. native nearly registered a double-double as well by hauling in nine boards. Keller dropped 24 points, while Cole (14 points) and Manginello (12 points) also reached double figures in scoring. Elijah Carson corralled a game-best 11 rebounds, and Moore paced his squad with four assists.
 
Montreat hits the road on Wednesday for its next contest against the No. 16-ranked University of Pikeville Bears. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. in Pikeville, Ky.