MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat College men's basketball team took on the Georgia Gwinnett College Grizzlies, a team receiving votes in the NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25, in a nonconference matchup on Saturday. Despite scoring a season-high 103 points, the Cavaliers fell to the Grizzlies by a final score of 107-103. After the conclusion of the contest, the Cavs fell to 2-3 overall while GGC improved to 6-2.
Montreat initiated the offense in the first half with an early 3-pointer from
Aden Taylor. Taylor ended up scoring nine of the hosts' initial 11 points, adding three free throws and another triple. Georgia Gwinnett responded to the early offense with multiple made 3-pointers of its own, as well as a 10-0 run, to secure a commanding 32-13 lead at the midpoint of the first half.
The Grizzlies maintained their edge for the remainder of the period, but the Cavaliers didn't stay quiet. Down the stretch, Taylor continued to show his dominance with more baskets both in the paint and at the free-throw line. A 3-pointer and an in-the-paint bucket from
Mike Wade, paired with a triple from
Amare Elshoush, helped bring the Cavs within six of GGC at 46-40.
In the closing minutes of the half, Georgia Gwinnett utilized a 14-2 scoring burst to hold a firm 60–42 lead heading into the intermission.
The hosts opened the second half with a layup by
Dyllan Barnwell to cut into GGC's advantage. Despite an early scoring effort, Montreat faced a surge from the visitors, who extended their lead to 27 points, the largest disparity of the game (74-57).
Owen Stewart gave the Cavaliers some life by responding with a slam. A pair of 3-pointers from Taylor and
RJ Manginello, accompanied by points down low from Stewart and Taylor, slashed the Grizzlies' lead to 80-62.
From that point on, Montreat only continued to chip away at the deficit. Elshoush put on a show from beyond the arc, hitting five 3-pointers down the stretch for the Cavs. He wasn't the only one who found some rhythm from deep, as Manginello also drilled a few looks, bringing the score to a one-possession game, 98-95, with just over two minutes to play.
As the clock wound down, the Cavaliers' defensive stops and late offensive push had them coming up just short, as Georgia Gwinnett was able to hold on to the lead and finish out the game with a 107-103 victory.
Montreat shot 43.2 percent from the field (35-81 FG) and 39.2 percent from beyond the arc (20-51 3-pt FG). The hosts' 20 3-point makes marked the program's most in a single game since at least 2003-04. Defensively, the Cavaliers held the visitors to shooting 60.0 percent overall (33-55 FG) and 52.2 percent from deep (12-23 3-pt FG). The Grizzlies held the edge in rebounds (45-30), while Montreat held the advantage in assists (24-22), steals (9-6) and turnovers (15-6). Both the field goals made and the team assist totals were season highs for the Cavs.
Elshoush led the squad by scoring a season-high 28 points. He also tallied eight made 3-pointers, which is the most by a player in a single game since Austin Butler made nine on Feb. 28, 2020. Taylor was next up, adding a season-high 25 points and six assists, all while contributing a securing a team-best six rebounds. Manginello poured in 23 points and led the squad with eight assists. Stewart finished with nine points and notched three boards and three helpers.
Looking ahead, the Cavs will travel to Columbia, S.C. to face Columbia International University in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
