Jonathan Bennett and the men of the Montreat College basketball team were left shaking their heads as another hard-fought conference game slipped away when UVa-Wise came to McAlister Gymnasium and defeated the Cavaliers 86-76 on Wednesday, February 3. 

Bennett praised his big men for a great effort, stating that "this game marked the most outstanding performance" by his post players all season but acknowledged that the opposing Highland Cavaliers "played a great second half and made tough shot after tough shot" to cling to their lead in a tense second stanza.

Dustin Harris, a sophomore forward from Marion, North Carolina, led the Cavaliers with 16 points and 11 rebounds and was supported by Vince Dombrowski's 12 points and 14 points from freshman Christian Tonkins, who became eligible this week after transferring to Montreat from Western Carolina University.    

Travis Berry of UVa-Wise led all scorers with 20. 

The defeat lowered Montreat's record to 1-11 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference and 3-22 overall.  The Cavaliers' next game sees AAC rival Reinhardt College (6-3, 13-7) come to McAlister Gym at 7:30 on Saturday, February 6.