Skyhawks fall to Montreat in a home AAC matchup
WEST POINT, Ga. (Nov. 12, 2022) - The Point University men's basketball team returned to action on Saturday at the West Point Park Gymnasium for an Appalachian Athletic Conference showdown against Montreat and fell 59-53.
The Cavaliers jumped out of the gate with an early three-pointer which was followed by a mid-range jumper to start the game with a quick 5-0 lead. The Skyhawks responded out of their timeout with a Jack Gray three-pointer. Theaplais Williams evened the score with a made layup to tie the game, but that would not last long as Montreat fired another three-point shot to jump back ahead by three. As Point started to get their rhythm on offense, Justice Hayes made his presence known with a sniper three, which was followed by a made layup from Sam Rees to put Point ahead by two. Theron Montgomery added the spark off the bench with his first point of the game, a slam dunk. Montgomery added another score for Point with a strong layup in the paint to put the Skyhawks ahead by four. Both teams would continue to trade leads throughout the first half until Theron Montgomery and RJ Selmon scored two baskets in a row to help the Skyhawks lead 20-18. With under five minutes left in the first half, both opponents continued to tie the game, but a three from Montreat gave them the upper hand. Jake Smith kept the pace for the Skyhawks' at a fast pace as he scored the layup to push Point ahead with a lead of 26-25. After the response from the Cavaliers, Justice Hayes responded with a three-pointer to give the Skyhawks a two-point lead. RJ Selman would be fouled with under a minute left, and he converted the two free throws to extend their lead to go into halftime with a 31-28 lead.
The Cavaliers came into the second half on a mission to make the most of their opportunities on the court. Two made free throws, a layup, and a mid-range jumper helped Montreat move back ahead by one in the early going. The Cavaliers continued to attack the paint with another layup and converted on two shots from the charity strike to take their biggest lead of the game with seven. Jack Gray's three-pointer cut their deficit to four points, and Theron Montgomery's layup helped Point inch closer to Montreat's lead. With the Cavaliers now ahead by four, Sam Rees cut Montreat's lead to just one with a three-pointer. Montgomery's layup in the post put the Skyhawks back ahead, but the lead would not last for long as two made free throws from the Cavaliers put them back 42-41. Tyler Murray for the Cavaliers was fed off the screen for a wide-open three to extend the lead by four. Jake Smith quickly responded with a soft touch on the layup to cut their deficit to two before the timeout was called. With under seven minutes left, Jack Gray converted on the jump shot, which was followed by a made layup from Jake Smith to tie the game at 47. Both teams continued their attacks on offense which landed trips to the free-throw line. With Montreat ahead by one, Jarden Maze scored on the tough layup to boost their lead to 53-50. With two minutes left, The Cavaliers looked to fight their way to the finish line as they took a six-point lead until Jack Gray made the layup to cut the deficit to four. The Cavaliers would only allow three more points from the Skyhawks as they made their free throws to put the game on ice with a final score of 59-53.
In the box
Jack Gray led the Skyhawks with 17 points and two rebounds. Theron Montgomery added a double-double off the bench with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Up next
Point will return to action against Johnson University on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the West Point Park Gymnasium for an AAC matchup starting at 7:30 P.M.
