DAYTON, Tenn.— The Montreat College men's basketball team went on the road in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup against the Bryan College Lions on Wednesday. The Cavaliers came up just short, losing by a final score of 77-76. As a result of the contest, the Cavs now hold an overall record of 15-11(10-8 AAC), while the Lions improved to 10-16 (8-11 AAC).
Scoring for Montreat early on came from beyond the arc. Owen Stewart and Aden Taylor both hit one from deep to give the Cavaliers a quick 6-0 lead less than three minutes in. Bryan kept the score tight by responding with some buckets of its own, and by the 9:23 mark, the Lions had seized a 15-12 lead.
In the latter half of the first frame, BC controlled the edge, but Montreat didn't lie down and started to regain momentum. Scoring was spread all around for the Cavaliers. Dyllan Barnwell came up with a crucial basket that reclaimed the lead for the Cavs at 2:27 (28-26). Barnwell continued his impact, scoring the final three points for the visitors to give them a 33-31 lead heading into the halftime break.
The second half of play saw the visitors initially take control, with Lawrence Cole scoring the team's first six points of the period. The Cavaliers continued to push ahead, with Taylor assisting on an RJ Manginello triple, extending the lead to 42-37. However, the Lions responded with a series of successful 3-pointers, briefly flipping the lead by the midpoint of the frame.
The Cavs' efforts to regain control were highlighted by Taylor's 3-pointer at 6:05, which restored their advantage to 64-62. Despite Bryan's continued pressure, including a fast break layup, Montreat answered with buckets from Mike Wade, Jace Ramirez and Caleb Moore, pushing the score to 72-67. BC managed to catch up less than a minute later, though, tying the game at 72 with 2:45 to play.
In the final tense moments, Manginello's free throws put the Cavaliers ahead 76-74, but the Lions secured the win with free throws of their own in the closing seconds. Montreat had a pair of good looks on the final possession, but neither attempt went through the net, and the contest concluded with Bryan clinging to its 77-76 edge.
On the night, the Cavs shot 35.1 percent from the field (27-77 FG), and 23.5 percent from deep (8-34 3-pt FG). Defensively, they held the Lions to shooting 44.8 percent overall (26-58 FG), and 48.3 percent from three (14-29 3-pt FG). While Bryan held a slight edge in assists (16-14), Montreat held advantages in rebounding (48-34), and steals (7-3).
Taylor led the way with 15 points, including four 3-pointers, and added three assists. Cole contributed 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and secured six rebounds. Stewart tallied nine points and collected nine boards, along with two steals. Manginello finished with 12 points and converted all four of his free-throw attempts. Barnwell rounded out the offense with eight points, going a perfect 3-for-3 from the field.
Looking ahead, Montreat will face the University of Pikeville on Saturday, Feb. 21. The game will tip off at 4 p.m. in Pikeville, Ky.
