MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat College men's basketball team notched its fourth straight home win with a decisive victory over the Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers on Saturday night. The Cavaliers secured the triumph by a final score of 81-64. As a result of the contest, the Cavs improved to 10-6 (6-3 AAC) on the year, while the Pioneers now sit at 3-13 (1-8 AAC). 
 
Montreat started the first half by overcoming an early deficit after Spartanburg Methodist initially took a seven-point lead in the first minute-and-a-half of play. The Pioneers' run was snapped by an Aden Taylor 3-pointer. Taylor didn't stop there as he went on to score 11 of the Cavaliers' initial 13 points. The offensive push from the Cavs put them ahead 20-15 with just under 10 minutes left to play in the period.  
 
The hosts' momentum remained steady as they continued to hold the lead for the remainder of the first half. Scoring in the paint proved to be a difference maker for the Cavaliers, as Owen Stewart and Dyllan Barnwell put in work down low during the latter stages of the frame. A steal from Mike Wade helped set up a fast break 3-pointer from Zeke Bullington with 30 seconds remaining to give the Cavs a nine-point lead, 35-26, heading into the halftime break. 
 
Coming out of the intermission, both teams engaged in some back-and-forth scoring. For Montreat, Wade stayed persistent on defense, notching steals on back-to-back defensive possessions in the early going. The Cavaliers began to really separate themselves from SMC on the scoreboard when Amare Elshoush found his groove from behind the arc—the young guard hit three from deep across a five-minute span. As they reached the midway point of the final half, some more baskets in the paint from Barnwell put the Cavs up big, 60-44. 
 
With the game nearing its end, Spartanburg Methodist tried to close the gap, but Montreat only continued to extend the lead. A fast break layup from Lawrence Cole put the home side up 21, marking its biggest lead of the day (66-45). Although SMC put up a concerted effort, the already established Cavaliers' lead proved to be too much. The second half wrapped up with a final score of 81-64, giving the Cavs the advantage. 
 
When asked about the team's home winning streak, head coach Anthony Barringer said, "It's nice to be here, our guys enjoy playing here and we put an emphasis on giving these people something to cheer for."  
 
On the night, Montreat shot 44.8 percent from the field (30-67 FG) and an impressive 46.2 percent from three (12-26 3-pt FG). Defensively, the hosts held SMC to shooting 44.9 percent overall (22-49 FG) and 33.3 percent from deep (7-21 3-pt FG). The Cavaliers held a significant advantage in rebounds (38-26), points off turnovers (24-14) and bench points (40-15), while also maintaining narrower edges in assists (14-12) and steals (9-8). 
 
Taylor led the team with 14 points, converting all four of his 3-point attempts and adding three rebounds. Barnwell was perfect from the field, scoring 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting while also matching his season high in rebounds with 12. The performance marked his third double-double of the campaign. Elshoush contributed 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Cole (12 points) and Stewart (10 points) also found themselves in double figures for scoring. Wade made his mark on the game by leading the team with four assists and four steals. 
 
Up next, Montreat will conclude its homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 14 by hosting Columbia International University. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at McAlister Gymnasium in Montreat, N.C.