Murithi Scores 21 in Road Loss at Montreat

The Spartanburg Methodist College men's basketball team scored the first seven points of the game but fell to host Montreat, 81–64, on Saturday.

Spartanburg Methodist College (3–13, 1–8 AAC) was led by a 21-point effort from redshirt freshman Musa Murithi. Freshman teammate CJ Terrell added 11 points, while sophomore Kelton Teasley scored 10 off the bench. Murithi connected on four 3-pointers as SMC went 13-of-18 from the free-throw line in the loss. Terrell also recorded four blocked shots as the Pioneers totaled nine rejections.

Montreat (10–6, 6–3 AAC) placed five players in double figures, shooting 44.8 percent from the field and knocking down 12 3-pointers in the win. Aden Taylor led the host Cavaliers with 14 points on four 3-pointers, while Amare Elshoursh scored 13. Lawrence Cole added 12 points, and Dyllan Barnwell and Owen Stewart each finished with 10.

After the visitors opened the game with a 7–0 run, Montreat answered with the next eight points and led for nearly the remainder of the contest. The Cavaliers scored the final five points of the first half to take a 35–26 advantage into the break.

The Pioneers cut the deficit to as few as seven points in the second half, but Montreat pushed the lead to as many as 19 on three occasions on its way to the victory.

Next, SMC will travel to Columbia, S.C., for a rematch against Columbia College on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 8 p.m. The Koalas won the earlier meeting, 69–51, on Nov. 12.