BARBOURVILLE, Ky.— Montreat's women's basketball team visited the Bluegrass State for just the second time this season as it played the Union Commonwealth University Bulldogs on Monday night. The matchup marked the first of two Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) games where the Cavaliers (14-7, 11-5 AAC) and the Bulldogs go head-to-head. This time, the Cavs mounted a spectacular comeback to secure an 85-77 victory against the Bulldogs (7-15, 6-10 AAC).
The first quarter of play was a 3-point shooting contest as both teams attempted at least 10 shots from behind the arc. Each squad made three shots from downtown in the period. After the frame, Montreat trailed 23-19. Three quick fouls from Edmondson meant she was only on the court for five minutes in the first half.
The Bulldogs found their largest lead in the second quarter when they led by 12 (43-31), but Montreat fought back with a 6-1 spurt to close the half. The run consisted of three layups all on the fast break.
Rymiah Sanders,
Ayanna Varela and
Cierra Lail managed to cut the Bulldog advantage down to just seven points going into halftime with a score of 44-37. At the break, Sanders led the Cavs with eight points.
Katie Alexander totaled five rebounds and four assists, while
Grace Rinaldo secured five boards.
Montreat came out of the intermission with some fire as Edmondson nailed a triple on the first play of the second half. The hosts stayed in front until there were merely seconds left in the quarter. A fast break layup from Edmondson put the Cavs ahead only briefly as the Bulldogs edged their noses in front, 57-56, with a frame to go.
Union kept that lead alive until there were five minutes remaining in the contest. The Cavs got hot and went on a 15-4 run. Edmondson and Sanders took charge of the offense, scoring seven and five points respectively during the stretch.
Maddie Ferrara put the cherry on top with a deep 3-pointer to give Montreat a seven-point lead they would not give up. The Cavs ultimately beat the Bulldogs by a final score of 85-77.
"I'm super proud of our group for fighting back and finishing the game," said head coach
Jamie Moore. "We didn't have a great shooting night, and Union was really tough inside, but our team found a way. Road wins don't come easily in our conference, so this was big for us."
Edmondson (29 points) and Sanders (25 points) lit up the scoresheet offensively. Sanders also hauled in a game-high nine rebounds. Alexander dished out a contest-best 12 assists to go along with her eight boards.
Montreat shot 48.3 percent from the field (29-60 FG), 23.1 percent from deep (6-26 3-pt FG) and 77.8 percent from the line (21-27 FT). Meanwhile, the Bulldogs went 28-for-68 overall (41.2 percent), 11-for-37 from 3-point range (29.7 percent) and 10-for-18 at the stripe (55.6 percent). The visitors won the scoring battle in the paint (42-32) and in transition (34-0). Union Commonwealth pulled down more rebounds (41-37) and totaled more second chance points (10-2).
The Cavs play next on Wednesday when they visit the Columbia International University Rams for another AAC matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Columbia, S.C.
