PIKEVILLE, Ky.— Montreat's women's basketball team made the nearly 200-mile hike to UPIKE on Wednesday. The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup marked the only one between the two schools on the conference schedule. Before the game, the Cavs (12-6, 9-4 AAC) sat one spot ahead of the Bears in the AAC standings. The Bears came out on top and triumphed over the Cavaliers by a score of 70-54. 

The Cavs got out to a hot start with a 12-6 lead. The Bears (10-7, 9-4 AAC) crawled their way back thanks to a quick 6-0 run to lead at the end of the first period, 15-12. Montreat turned the ball over eight times in the first quarter alone. Both Virginia Edmondson and Grace Rinaldo had five points in the first with an additional bucket coming from Cierra Lail. The second period was all Rymiah Sanders as she scored 11 points in the frame to help tie the Cavs with the Bears after the first half at 30-30. 

The second half entailed two big runs, both in Pikeville's favor. A 14-3 stretch in the third put the Cavaliers behind the eight ball. At the end of the third, Montreat trailed by 12 points. UPIKE continued to seize momentum when it started the concluding quarter with a 12-0 spurt, doubling the lead. The Cavs couldn't chip away down the stretch, and they remained winless against UPIKE in four games all time. 

Sanders led the way for the Cavs with 16 points on the night, but it was Rinaldo who recorded her second career double-double in as many games with 11 points and 10 boards. Edmondson and Katie Alexander had the most steals and assists, respectively, with each tallying six in the contest. 

Montreat couldn't hold on to the ball as they etched 19 turnovers into the books during the game. UPIKE capitalized on those mistakes as they scored 20 points from turnovers to Montreat's eight. The Cavs didn't have a block in the competition. Despite having two more points in the paint, one extra steal and the same number of rebounds as the hosts, Montreat couldn't get it done on the road. 

"We were off our game tonight, and when you play fundamental teams like Pikeville, it's tough to win," said head coach Jamie Moore. "Our identity is being tough for 40 minutes, and we didn't do that tonight." 

The Cavs compete next on Jan. 25 when they host the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs for another AAC matchup. The competition is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Kimmel Arena in Asheville, N.C.