FROM STAFF REPORTS

COLUMBUS, Ga. – The University of Montevallo men’s basketball team defeated Augusta State University 60-53 in the Peach Belt Conference tournament quarterfinals March 8 at the Frank G. Lumpkin Center on the Columbus State University campus.

The Falcons opened up a 16-point lead midway through the second half and held on down the stretch by knocking down 6-of-8 attempts from the free-throw line in the final 1:08.

The Falcons outrebounded the Jaguars 34-24, including a 16-10 advantage on the offensive boards.

Montevallo, the No. 1 seed in the West Division and the defending Peach Belt Conference tournament champion, advances to face East Division No. 2 seed UNC Pembroke in the semifinals Saturday, March 9 at 7 p.m. CST.

The Falcons defeated the Braves 84-61 as they shot a school record 68.4 percent from beyond the arc in the only regular-season meeting between the two teams this season Jan. 21.

Sophomore Troran Brown led the Falcons (19-8) with 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor in the victory. Brown also dished out a team-high five assists.

Senior Drico Hightower added 11 points and eight rebounds. Fellow senior Marvin Fitzgerald finished with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Senior Travis DeShazior chipped in six points. Senior Jonas Brown added three points, while junior Silas Millsprovided two points and three rebounds off the bench.

Augusta State jumped out to an early 6-0 lead following a pair of 3-pointers by Devon Wright-Nelson and D’Angelo Boyce in the game’s opening two minutes.

Augusta State pushed its lead to 12-6 following a free throw by Michael Graham with 14:01 remaining in the first half. The Falcons chipped away at the deficit over the next five minutes, taking its first lead following a tip-in by Fitzgerald with 9:06 left in the first half, which gave Montevallo a 16-14 advantage.

The Falcons led by as many as eight points down the stretch in the opening half following a 3-pointer by DeShazior with 1:47 left in the half. Montevallo carried a 27-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Montevallo pushed its lead to as many as 16 points in the second half following a layup by Hightower with 3:46 remaining in the game, which gave the Falcons a 54-38 lead. However, the Jaguars responded with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 54-48 on a 3-pointer by Boyce with 1:15 left in the game.

Brown knocked down 6-of-8 free throws in the final 1:08 to seal the victory for the Falcons.