MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat men's basketball team honored its seniors on Saturday as it hosted the Union Commonwealth University Bulldogs for its 2024-25 home finale. Facing off against an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) foe, the Cavaliers sent their seniors off in triumphant fashion, beating the visitors, 90-72. Montreat improved to 16-10 (10-8 AAC) with its first win over Union Commonwealth (10-14, 6-12 AAC) since Feb. 3, 2022.
Jack Keller started scorching hot from the field, and it paid dividends for the Cavs. The senior from Houston, Texas outscored UCU throughout the opening 10 minutes. Keller poured in 17 of the hosts' initial 27 points, and the Cavaliers possessed a 27-16 lead midway through the first half.
The Bulldogs managed to close the gap to 36-32 with 3:17 remaining in the first frame, but four
Jarden Maze free throws ensured that Montreat entered the intermission on top, 40-33.
A 17-4 run over 4:50 had Union Commonwealth thinking of an upset victory. The visitors ultimately flipped their seven-point halftime deficit into a seven-point lead at 53-46 less than six minutes into the second half; however, things only went downhill from there for the Bulldogs.
Maze,
Zeke Bullington and
Mike Wade swiftly reclaimed the edge for the Cavs, and after Union tried to answer,
RJ Manginello buried back-to-back 3-pointers. Up 62-59 with 9:04 to go, Montreat never relinquished its lead the rest of the way.
Chris Moore and Wade built the hosts' first double-digit lead of the second half (74-64), and the advantage ballooned to as large as 18 points on two separate occasions.
Elijah Carson, a senior who suffered a season-ending injury on Wednesday, got the chance to step onto the court inside McAlister Gymnasium one last time. Not only did he grab a rebound, but he also sank a free throw to conclude the scoring account. With Carson's make at the charity stripe, the Cavaliers finished out their 90-72 win.
"Our seniors, those guys have been here from the day I got here," said head coach
Anthony Barringer. "For them to be able to play in this environment, as electric as it was, and to get a win, it means the world to me."
After shooting 60.0 percent in the second half (18-30 FG), Montreat wrapped up the night at 50.0 percent overall (31-62 FG) and 48.1 percent from deep (13-27 3-pt FG). The Bulldogs made 28 of their 60 looks from the floor (46.7 percent) but only five of their 21 attempts from beyond the arc (23.8 percent). The hosts won the rebounding battle (38-31) and held the edge in second chance points (13-5).
Manginello paced all players with 24 points and five assists. Keller ended the night with 19 points, while Maze corralled a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with his 18 points.
Montreat hits the road on Wednesday for an AAC showdown with St. Andrews University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Laurinburg, N.C.
