LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.— The Montreat College women's basketball team traveled to Lawrenceville, Ga. on Tuesday for a nonconference matinee matchup against the Georgia Gwinnett College Grizzlies. Outscored by 26 points across the second and third quarters, the Cavaliers ultimately dropped a 69-50 final to the hosts. With the result, the Cavs moved to 5-8 on the year, while GGC improved to 8-6 overall.
Georgia Gwinnett began the initial frame on a strong note, capturing an early lead with a 7-0 run across the opening 87 seconds. The visitors answered back with resilience, trimming the deficit to 13-11 roughly five minutes later.
Rymiah Sanders led the response with important baskets, including a triple at the 3:27 mark.
Utilizing a 12-6 edge in paint scoring, the Grizzlies maintained the advantage throughout the period, but Montreat closed the gap significantly in the final minutes. A 3-pointer from Sanders with 18 seconds remaining brought the Cavaliers within two points. The first quarter eventually concluded with GGC holding a slight lead, 20-18.
Georgia Gwinnett seized momentum early in the second frame, capitalizing on turnovers to spark a 10-0 spurt. The hosts also played sound defense, holding the Cavs scoreless in the quarter until after the under-five media timeout.
Bayleigh Winkler, who scored all six points for Montreat in the second period, responded for the visitors, drilling multiple jumpers in the paint to keep them within reach. However, the Grizzlies closed the quarter with more effective defense, maintaining pressure and extending their lead. The opening half ended with the hosts ahead, 33-24.
Like the previous two frames, GGC kicked off the third quarter with a strong offensive push, this time to the tune of a 9-0 run. The home side effectively capitalized on turnovers, scoring six points off Montreat's errors.
Georgia Gwinnett's defense limited the Cavaliers to four field goals in the period, while its offense turned in 14 points in the paint. Despite a 3-pointer from
Sarah Williams, Montreat couldn't close the gap. The Grizzlies maintained momentum and wrapped up the third quarter with a commanding 28-point lead at 62-34.
The hosts led by as many as 29 points on three separate occasions early in the fourth frame. Montreat attempted to rally with improved field goal shooting, managing seven successful shots out of 14 attempts across the final 10 minutes. The Cavs outscored their counterpart, 16-7, in the last period of play. However, GGC's defense forced five turnovers and capitalized with four steals, which helped it preserve a steady grip on the game. Williams and
Tresalyn Roberts combined for a 7-0 stretch to finish out the scoring, but the Grizzlies still walked away with a 69–50 victory.
Overall, the Cavaliers shot 36.2 percent from the field (21-58 FG), 25.0 percent from deep (5-20 3-pt FG) and 75.0 percent at the free-throw line (3-4 FT). The hosts notched similar shooting percentages both from the floor (38.5 percent; 25-65 FG) and from beyond the arc (23.5 percent; 4-17 3-pt FG), but they garnered 14 more trips to the charity stripe and converted 15 tries overall (83.3 percent; 15-18 FT). Georgia Gwinnett also owned the edge in rebounds (42-37), points in the paint (34-22), points off turnovers (17-9) and fast break points (11-0).
Sanders, who has now reached double figures in scoring in 12 consecutive contests, registered 15 points, three triples and six rebounds. Winkler tallied 12 points and collected six boards.
Ania Sands contributed with two steals and three assists, marking her fifth consecutive game with at least a trio of helpers.
Ayanna Varela also tallied two steals.
Looking ahead, Montreat will travel to Cullowhee, N.C. on Tuesday, Dec. 30 for an exhibition contest versus Western Carolina University. Tipoff is currently slated for 2 p.m.
