OWENSBORO, Ky. — The Montreat College women's basketball team opened its season on Friday evening with an 87-69 loss to Midway University on the first day of the Brescia Classic. The Cavaliers forced 15 turnovers but were unable to overcome the deficit. With the result, Montreat starts the year at 0-1, while Midway begins its campaign with a 1-0 record.
The Cavaliers committed several early turnovers and fell behind 6-0 before Sarah Williams opened Montreat's scoring with a jumper. The Norton, Va., native followed with a steal, setting up EK Walraven for a layup off a Se'Nai Camper assist. After Midway extended its lead to 9-4, Bayleigh Winkler sparked a run with a transition layup off a Mariia Fedoseeva assist. Williams then tied the game with a 3-pointer off another Fedoseeva assist prior to gaining the squad's first lead via a jumper. Nuria Rubio added a fastbreak layup to cap the 9-0 run and put the Cavs ahead, 13-9. The Eagles closed the gap with a 3-pointer with 1:28 remaining, but Winkler and Williams answered with layups to send the designated away team into the second quarter with a 24-17 advantage.
Winkler started the second quarter with a layup off a Williams assist, followed by three free throws from Williams and a transition basket by Walraven to keep the visitors ahead on the scoreboard, 31-27. However, Midway's defensive pressure led to seven Cavalier miscues during the period, disrupting the offense and shifting the momentum. The Eagles outscored Montreat by 12 points in the frame to take a 39-34 lead into halftime.
The Eagles continued to apply heavy pressure in the third quarter, forcing nine turnovers and converting them into 13 points. The Cavs found some success inside, with Camper scoring twice in the paint and Williams adding a basket off a Walraven assist. Kara Connor and Ayanna Varela also recorded steals during a defensive stretch midway through the period. After falling behind 65-45 late in the quarter, Montreat closed with seven consecutive points across the final 91 seconds. Serenity Pennington started the run with a layup, followed by two Fedoseeva free throws and a Walraven free throw and layup to cut the deficit to 65-52 heading into the final frame.
Pennington opened the fourth quarter by turning a steal into a fastbreak layup, trimming the Cavs' deficit to 11. Varela followed with a basket inside off a Walraven feed, and Williams added a steal and a layup to pull Montreat within 68-58. Despite the surge, the home team on the scoreboard responded with consecutive scoring possessions before extending its lead to 79-61 with nearly four minutes remaining.
The Cavaliers continued to struggle with turnovers, committing seven in the period. Williams knocked down the Cavs' only 3-pointer of the quarter with 2:44 left, while Fedoseeva added a layup and free throw in the final minute as the Eagles secured the 87-69 victory.
"As a young team, we learned a lot in this game," said Head Coach Jamie Moore. "We will continue growing in our discipline and ability to handle pressure, as well as making midgame adjustments."
The Cavaliers shot 40.6 percent from the field (26-64 FG), 21.1 percent from 3-point range (4-19 3-pt FG) and 65.0 percent from the free-throw line (13-20 FT). Midway finished at 40.5 percent from the floor (30-74 FG), 13.0 percent from beyond the arc (3-23 3-pt FG) and 72.7 percent at the charity stripe (24-33 FT). The Eagles held the edge in rebounds (46-40), assists (16-10), points in the paint (54-40) and points off turnovers (36-8).
Williams led the way with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting and recorded four steals. Winkler grabbed eight rebounds and contributed eight points, while Walraven finished with eight points, six rebounds and four assists. Fedoseeva also scored eight points, adding four rebounds and two assists while making all three of her free-throw attempts.
The Cavaliers return to action tomorrow for the second day of the Brescia Classic, taking on host Brescia University at 4 p.m. ET.
