ASHEVILLE, N.C.— The Montreat women's basketball team concluded its homestand Tuesday evening with an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) clash against the Columbia College Koalas. Battling inside Kimmel Arena on the campus of UNC Asheville, the Cavaliers utilized a trio of double-doubles and a dominant second half to cruise to an 87-52 victory. With their fifth consecutive triumph, the Cavs' climbed to 10-4 (7-2 AAC) on the season.
 
Katie Alexander drained a triple during the game's opening moments, and Virginia Edmondson poured in Montreat's ensuing nine points to keep level with Columbia (13-3, 6-3 AAC) midway through the initial quarter. The Koalas moved in front of the hosts, 20-17, with merely 1:03 remaining in the frame, but five points from Vaniyah Petty and a fast break layup from Edmondson capped off a 7-0 run prior to the quarter's end that ensured the Cavaliers never trailed again.
 
Edmondson, Petty and Karis Alexander powered the home side's offense during the second period. Each member of the trio totaled six points, and they combined for 18 of the Cavs' 21 in the frame. Coupled with a solid defensive effort, the hosts entered the intermission with a 45-35 advantage.
 
Montreat controlled every facet of the latter half, outscoring the visitors by 25 (42-17) across 20 minutes of play. Edmondson and Karis Alexander combined for the squad's first 15 points in the third quarter, and Katie Alexander buried a look from deep to push the lead up to 65-43 before the frame ended.
 
Nine different Cavaliers snagged a rebound during the fourth thanks in large part to a defensive showing that limited the Koalas to 4-for-22 shooting (18.2 percent) over the 10-minute stretch. With the game firmly in hand, Montreat had 11 players take the court in the period, and it finished off a one-sided 87-52 conference win.
 
"This was a big game for us, and our players came out and responded," said head coach Jamie Moore. "They attacked the game plan, made adjustments and played to our strengths. I'm super proud of our half-court defense and the two charges taken by Ania Sands. We also had three players with double-doubles to lead us to a big win."
 
The hosts got the better of their counterparts on the court, and the stats reflected that. Montreat went 33-for-82 from the field (40.2 percent) while making eight triples (8-28 3-pt FG; 28.6 percent). Meanwhile, Columbia was held to just 25.6 percent shooting (20-78 FG), including a 3-for-33 effort from beyond the arc (9.1 percent). The Cavs also made one more free throw than the Koalas attempted (13-12), as well as dominated the glass (66-39), dished out more assists (26-8) and notched significantly more fast break points (30-4).
 
As if the team stats weren't impressive enough, three Cavaliers registered double-doubles. Along with her 10 rebounds, Edmondson also garnered career-highs in points (36) and assists (8). Petty scored 13 points while capturing a season-best 18 boards, and Katie Alexander led all players in assists (10) to accompany her 11 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Karis Alexander nearly joined her teammates in the double-double department with a career-high 16 points and nine boards.
 
Montreat leaps back into action on Thursday with another conference matchup. Tipoff between the Cavs and the Bryan College Lions is slated for 5:30 p.m. in Dayton, Tenn.