WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.— The Montreat College men's basketball team went on the road to take on the Carolina University Bruins in a nonconference matchup Tuesday night. Thanks to a late 7-0 run in overtime, the Cavaliers squeaked out a narrow 82-81 victory. The win brought the Cavs' record to 4-4 on the year, while the Bruins fell to 2-7 overall.
The first half of play was all about the visitors as they held the lead for the entire frame. Owen Stewart started the scoring for Montreat on the game's opening possession, and he obtained his squad's initial five points with two layups and a free throw. The rest of the team built on the offensive momentum from Stewart, with baskets from Dylan Barnwell and Aden Taylor, as well as back-to-back 3-pointers from Amare Elshoush. Behind the quick start, the away side established a comfortable double-digit lead, 20-9, by the midway point of the half.
Dominance from the Cavaliers' offense didn't slow down from there. Taylor's bucket from beyond the arc and a dunk from Stewart highlighted the beginning of the latter portion of the first half. Zeke Bullington and Elshoush continued to rain down shots from deep, aiding Montreat in establishing the contest's largest lead at 46-19. The Cavs ultimately polished off a commanding first half with a 48-26 advantage heading into the intermission.
Coming out of the halftime break, both teams started quietly as neither side managed to score through the opening two minutes. A layup from CU broke the ice but was quickly responded to by Owen Galeota, who grabbed a defensive board and finished it with a slam dunk. Elshoush continued to contribute heavily for Montreat as he scored three straight baskets for the Cavs, one of which was a 3-pointer, to bring the score to 59-34 with 13:17 remaining.
Heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation, the Bruins had yet to hold a lead in the game, but that didn't prevent them from chipping away at the Cavaliers' edge. Persistent fast break scoring and good shooting from deep brought the margin to a one-possession game, 66-63, with 3:55 left to play.
In the final minutes, Montreat faced continued pressure from Carolina. CU battled back, bringing the matchup to a tense 71-69 scoreline with just over a minute to play. The Cavs were still leading at the time, but a pair of clutch free throws from the hosts brought regulation to a 71-71 close.
Carolina carried that momentum into the extra period, holding the Cavaliers to just two Taylor free throws through the initial 4:30 of overtime before Taylor scored again. Despite Taylor's four points, the visitors found themselves trailing 78-75 with 27 seconds to go. The Bruins tacked on three additional points, but Montreat flipped the switch and closed out the matchup with a 7-0 spurt. Across the final 16 seconds, Bullington notched a three-point play, and both Stewart and Mike Wade capitalized on turnovers with trips to the free-throw line. Thanks to those five free throws and the sudden late surge, the Cavs rode their 7-0 run to an 82-81 overtime victory.
"We made plays when the game looked like it was over to get a win," said head coach Anthony Barringer. "We say it all the time, culture wins, and it won tonight."
The Cavaliers shot 50.0 percent from the field (28-56 FG) and 35.0 percent from deep (7-20 3-pt FG). Defensively, they held the Bruins to shooting 50.0 percent overall (28-56 FG) and 31.6 percent from three (6-19 3-pt FG). Montreat owned the rebounding advantage (36-28) while CU held narrow edges in assists (16-14) and steals (16-15).
Stewart posted his second double-double of the year with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor poured in 17 points of his own and showed out with a team-high four assists and four steals. Elshoush paced the squad with 19 points while going 5-for-6 from beyond the arc. Barnwell registered eight points and shot a perfect 3-for-3 from the field.
Looking ahead, Montreat is set to face Tennessee Wesleyan University in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup on Wednesday, Dec. 3. The contest is set to take place at 7:30 p.m. in Athens, Tenn.
