MONTREAT, N.C.— Montreat College's men's basketball team hosted the Bryan College Lions in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) game on Wednesday evening. The Cavaliers lost 79-73 in the battle. Montreat fell to 6-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play with the defeat. The Lions moved to 4-8 overall and 3-3 in AAC play.
The hosts began the first half facing an early 7-0 deficit. Right from the tip, Bryan imposed its will. Despite a slow start, the Cavaliers responded with contributions from
Amare Elshoush and
Dyllan Barnwell to close the gap. Freshman
Owen Stewart added much-needed baskets, and a 7-0 run of their own helped the hosts momentarily take their only lead of the game at the 6:54 mark in the half. However, BC answered with fast breaks, and points off turnovers allowed the away team to regain momentum. Montreat managed to stay within striking distance thanks consistent scoring, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Elshoush in the closing minutes. The half concluded with Bryan leading 35–28.
After the intermission, Montreat started the second half on a high note with
Aden Taylor connecting on a 3-pointer, assisted by
Owen Galeota. However, the Lions pounced on the Cavaliers defensively and forced turnovers in their favor. Montreat's defensive efforts, including a block by Taylor, momentarily stalled Bryan's momentum, but the visitors stayed in front. As the half progressed, Elshoush hit back-to-back 3-pointers to narrow the edge, but BC capitalized on fast breaks to maintain its advantage. The Cavs continued to fight, with Stewart and Taylor contributing points. Still, Bryan's steady offensive production kept it ahead down the stretch.
In the closing minutes, the hosts made a final push with Taylor adding another 3-pointer, narrowing BC's lead. The Cavs had to foul the Lions excessively to get the ball back, and Bryan College shot well enough from the stripe that Montreat could not erase the deficit (30-38 FT). Even when the Cavaliers trailed by eight points with 45 seconds to play, they didn't quit. The home side was able to slice the visitors' advantage to just four points, but it was never able to fully overtake its counterpart. After 40 minutes of play, Bryan held on to win the contest 79-73.
Taylor led the team with 22 points on the day. He converted all 14 of his free-throw attempts, a new season-high. Wednesday marked the second game of Taylor's young Montreat career in which he surpassed 20 points. Elshoush contributed 19 points, hitting five 3-pointers out of 10 attempts. The Fairfax, Va. native currently leads the AAC in 3-point shooting at 57.8 percent.
Mike Wade added nine points and recorded five rebounds, with a strong performance from the free-throw line, making 7-of-9 tries. Stewart secured seven rebounds and added seven points, while also dishing out three assists to lead the squad.
Caleb Moore also paced the team with two steals.
"Even in the loss, our team culture showed tonight," said head coach
Anthony Barringer. "We pour into it, and we are intentional about it. Obviously, we want to win every game, but at the end of the day, we are going to play hard from second one to minute 40 regardless of the score and regardless of the outcome."
As a team, Montreat shot 32.1 percent from the floor, going 18-for-56. From deep, the Cavaliers made 8-of-28 3-pointers, good for a 28.6-percent clip. The home side finished out the contest with an 82.9-percent showing from the foul line (29-35 FT), the highest mark all season. Twenty-nine free throws made was also a season-high for the Cavaliers. Montreat totaled more bench points (34-31), but the visitors led all major stat categories. The Lions had more rebounds (38-37), assists (12-9), steals (14-7) and blocks (10-2) than in the contest.
Montreat will host another AAC squad on Saturday, Dec. 13 inside McAlister Gymnasium. The Milligan University Buffaloes will come to town for an afternoon clash that is set to tip off at 4 p.m.
