GRAYSON, Ky.-- The Montreat men's basketball team traveled to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon for a contest against the Kentucky Christian University Knights. With an impressive second half, the Cavaliers completed the challenge and triumphed with a score of 84-69, moving to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. 

The Knights began the game with strong pressure against the Cavaliers, causing Montreat to struggle to find its rhythm. Although the Cavs missed a couple of opportunities, Tyler Murray scored within the paint, putting them on the scoreboard just two minutes into the matchup. Within the first five minutes of the game, the Knights scored 10 points and led with a score of 10-4. Midway through the half, Montreat committed more turnovers (10-8), and Kentucky Christian's offense proved too strong as it hit two 3-pointers, bringing the score to 21-11.

Although the Knights improved their 3-point shooting in the latter part of the first half, the Cavs managed to make several attempts from the paint, allowing them to trail by only three points at 29-26 with just 4:34 remaining in the half. As the first half ended, the Cavaliers continued to trail the Knights, and the score was 36-33. 

In a fast-paced period, Kentucky Christian (3-4, 1-2 AAC) took an early lead with Eric Sanders scoring 10 points in the first half, including two 3-pointers. Despite slowing down towards the end of the half, the home team still had a 36-33 lead thanks to shooting almost 45 percent (13-29 FG) and making 33.3 percent of their 15 3-point attempts.

During the first half of the game, Montreat's Michael Erbeck scored 17 points and led the team. Five different Cavaliers contributed to the team's score, but the overall shooting percentage was only 30.6 percent (11-36 FG), and they made only 17.6 percent of their attempts from the 3-point line, missing 14 out of 17 shots.

The Cavaliers made an impressive comeback after the Knights took a large lead. Within three minutes of the start of the second half, they managed to score nine points and take the lead with a layup made by Erbeck at the 16:12 mark, making it 42-40. The final 10 minutes arrived, and the Cavs took a double-digit lead (58-48). They dominated offensive rebounds with 21, while Kentucky Christian slowed down and missed several opportunities. 

Much like the Cavaliers in the first half, KCU also cooled down from beyond the arc and committed a series of fouls, giving its opponent quality chances. Eventually, the Cavaliers extended their lead to 60-48, completing a short 6-0 run. During the final 4:49, the Knights failed to ignite their offense while the Cavs excelled on both ends of the court, maintaining an 18-point lead (70-52).

Montreat managed to maintain its lead and increased it to as many as 21 points (82-61) during the final minute of the game. Dallas Culbreath made the final layup for the Cavaliers. Despite the last 3-point shot made by KCU, the score was not enough to make a difference in Montreat's 15-point win. 

The Cavaliers dominated the second half, outscoring their opponents 51-33. They concluded the game with 33 successful shots out of 70 attempts from the field, achieving a shooting accuracy of 47.1 percent. In contrast, KCU managed to make 24 out of 62 field goal attempts, converting at a rate of 38.7 percent. The Knights' performance from beyond the arc was at 30.0 percent, connecting on 9 out of 30 attempts. Montreat showcased a strong defensive effort, forcing 22 turnovers and capitalizing on Kentucky Christian's mistakes with 19 points. The Cavaliers asserted their dominance on the boards, securing a commanding lead in rebounds at 57-28. 

Erbeck spearheaded the team's scoring with an impressive 30 points, showcasing efficiency by making 12 out of 19 shots for his career high. Jamiel Wright, who came off the bench, contributed 12 points, joining Erbeck in the double-digit scoring category for the Cavs. Additionally, both Murray and Gabriel Rivera each added 10 points to the team's overall offensive effort.

"We put a really good half of basketball together," said head coach Anthony Barringer. "We have been knocking on the door and have been on the wrong side of a couple scores this year, so hopefully this puts us in the right direction and we can string together a few more wins."

On Tuesday, the men's basketball team will play and host their final game before a short Thanksgiving break against St. Andrews University at 7:30 p.m.