OWENSBORO, Ky.— Wrapping up its time at the Kentucky Bluegrass Classic in Owensboro, Ky., the Montreat College women's basketball team defeated the Oakland City University Mighty Oaks via a 77-64 final on Saturday. Thanks to a handful of career-best performances, the Cavaliers grabbed the nonconference victory and improved to 1-3 on the young campaign. Meanwhile, OCU fell to 0-2 overall.
Montreat started the first quarter strong, breaking the initial deadlock with high-intensity effort.
Bayleigh Winkler opened the scoring with a layup just 45 seconds in following a quality pass from
Ania Sands. The Cavs' defense was aggressive, generating six steals in the period, including two by
Rymiah Sanders, which helped maintain pressure on the Mighty Oaks.
Offensively, the Cavaliers cashed in on turnovers, with
Ella Kate Walraven drilling a look from deep, and both Sanders and
Ayanna Varela scoring on the fast break. Montreat led by as many as six points on three separate occasions across the opening 10 minutes, including at the end of the frame when it held an 18-12 edge. In total, six different Cavs scored during the first.
Beginning the second quarter with a defensive stop,
Se'Nai Camper hauled down a rebound that led to a layup from Sanders. The early score was part of a consistent offensive performance that saw Montreat extend its lead. Varela contributed significantly with a steal and a fast-break layup, followed by a free throw, which helped the Cavaliers maintain momentum and a 25-18 advantage.
As the period progressed, Montreat capitalized on turnovers and continued to score inside the paint, with Sanders adding a jumper and another layup. Despite Oakland City's attempts to close the gap, the Cavs' defensive pressure, highlighted by multiple steals and rebounds, kept them in control. A pair of Varela free throws aided Montreat in closing out the half with a double-digit lead at 36-25.
The Cavaliers wasted no time building upon their edge, with Winkler scoring moments into the third quarter after a steal by Varela. Montreat's defense was effective, as it recorded four more thefts, while Sanders and Sands contributed significantly on offense with two triples and a plethora of assists, respectively.
OCU tried to trim the deficit, but the Cavs' lead reached 15 points at the 6:54 mark following Sands' jumper. The quarter concluded with Montreat narrowly outscoring Oakland City, pushing the advantage out to 55-43 with just 10 minutes left in regulation.
Sarah Williams buried the first of her five fourth-quarter 3-pointers just 51 seconds into the final frame. In total, the Cavaliers connected on six looks from deep throughout the period. Winkler also contributed to the offensive display with a layup and a jumper.
Despite the Mighty Oaks answering with points in the paint, Montreat consistently countered with perimeter shooting. Sands assisted another Williams make from beyond the arc, handing the Cavs their largest lead of the day at 74-53 with 4:42 to go.
In the closing minutes, Montreat's defense held firm, limiting Oakland City's opportunities to close the gap. For the fourth consecutive quarter, the Cavaliers outscored their counterpart. As a result, Montreat walked away with a 77-64 triumph, its first of the year.
"We feel like our pieces are starting to come together," said head coach
Jamie Moore. "Overall, this was a great tournament for us to grow and build chemistry. We feel like these first two tournaments really prepared us for conference play, which starts in nine days."
The Cavs shot 43.9 percent overall (29-66 FG) and 32.3 percent from deep (10-31 3-pt FG), all while holding their opposition to 37.5 percent (24-64 FG) inside the arc and 25.0 percent (2-8 3-pt FG) beyond it. OCU corralled more rebounds (49-40) and made more free throws (14-9), but Montreat tallied more steals (16-8) and points off turnovers (26-11). The Cavaliers also committed eight fewer turnovers (26-18).
Sanders helped lead the scoring effort with 20 points, shooting 8-for-16 from the field and adding five rebounds. Just a freshman, Williams contributed several career highs with 20 points, six 3-pointers and a team-high eight rebounds. Winkler, also a freshman, poured in a career-best 17 points in the win. Sands facilitated the offense with a career-high 13 assists and collected a personal-best seven rebounds. Varela provided defensive support with a career-best six steals, and she also added eight points.
"We had two freshmen that really stepped up, as well as Rymiah, who is always solid," Moore added. "We also had a big showing from Ania, who contributed a few career highs. I was really proud of our effort and the energy that all 12 players brought to the team this weekend."
The next challenge for the Cavs serves as the squad's home opener as well. Montreat hosts the Carolina University Bruins on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. inside McAlister Gymnasium in Montreat, N.C.
