Last season, the women's basketball team won its sixth game of the year on January 26th.  This season, the Cavaliers reached that plateau on November 21 when they won a hard-fought game against Appalachian Athletic Conference rival Bluefield College, securing an 88-81 win on Saturday at home in McAlister Gym.

Raising its record to 6-2 was the primary goal, but Head Coach Craig Jackson was also excited about two other benefits of the contest.  First, Montreat evened its AAC record at 1-1.  Second, it provided some measurement of the team's improvement, as Jackson noted that Bluefield beat Montreat twice in the regular season last year.

A glance at the box score suggests several reasons for Montreat's defeat of the Rams.  The team played fundamentally sound basketball in key areas, shooting 50% from the floor and 76% from the line while winning the rebounding battle 40-20.  A negative turnover-to-assist ratio stings, but other facets of the game excuse that somewhat: the Cavaliers played aggressive basketball, as evidenced by the 42 free throws they took (with Alicia Wallace converting 10 of 13).

Wallace was, in fact, one of six players in double figures.  Stephanie Morrison played a tremendous all-around game, contributing 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Chaecie Bullock (13 points), Titi Takai (11 points and 7 boards), and Tahjma Gabriel (10 points and 7 rebounds) all scored in double digits as well.

But Whitney Boone not only led the team in scoring with 15, she also played a pivotal role in the deciding moments of the game, hitting a three-point jumper and two lay-ups around the 4:00 minute mark of the second half as the Cavaliers took the lead for good.

The Cavaliers won nine games all of last season; it'll be interesting to see if they can reach that milestone before the long Christmas break as they face five more opponents before then, starting with a road game at Hiwassee College on Wednesday, November 25.