Bluefield College had quite a basketball season last year, collecting 27 wins, including 17 in a row in one stretch, while posting a perfect 18-0 mark during the regular season in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.  Of course, that included two wins over Montreat College and gave the Rams four consecutive wins over the Cavaliers over the past two years.

On Saturday at McAlister Gym, several streaks were snapped as Montreat defeated the Rams 81-75 in overtime, overcoming a 13-point second half deficit and ending Bluefield's run of 22 consecutive regular season conference wins dating back to the 2007-2008 season.

No one was more aware of the significance of the win more than Montreat's Head Coach, Jonathan Bennett.  "Bluefield has been the best team in our conference for several years, so a win like this - coming back from 13 down to tie it and winning in overtime - really helps our team's confidence."  

Sometimes a coach has to wait for things on his team to coalesce, and one of those times arrived on November 21 with the start of the second half against the Rams.  From that point, trailing 28-25, the Cavaliers exploded for 56 points in the second half and 5-minute overtime period as the offense began to click.

Primarily responsible for the offensive eruption was Junior Forward Matt Rushing, who tallied all of his 25 points in the second stanza to lead all scorers in the contest, as well as fighting for ten rebounds.  Dustin Harris added 19 points and 9 rebounds while Daniel Kennedy scored 13 and Seth Moore hauled in 14 boards.  

Bennett noted that "aggressive play was the big reason" for the welcome offensive outburst and added that the Cavaliers have "struggled so much offensively it was nice to break out and put a few points on the scoreboard."

Coach Richard Morgan's Rams, likewise, had four scorers in double figures, led by Brian Daniels' 20 points, and fought hard to continue their impressive run of AAC victories.

At 2-5 and 1-1 in the AAC, the Cavaliers have six games before the three-week Christmas break to build on the momentum and strong play they produced during their second half against Bluefield.  Maybe they can continue a streak or two of their own as they next face North Greenville on the road in a non-conference tilt on Tuesday, November 23 at 7:30.