Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

MONTEVALLO – With less than three seconds left and the game tied at 48-48, the University of Montevallo Falcons’ star freshman Aubrey Sorrells heaved up a deep 3-pointer. While she missed the shot, she got a second chance to give her team the win over the Delta State Statesmen.

After Sorrells was fouled on the shot, she made two of her three ensuing free throws to lift Montevallo to a 50-48 win on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Central State Bank Arena.

The late game heroics were just one part of a 10-point and four-rebound afternoon that gave her an eighth Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year award on Tuesday, Feb. 4, setting a new conference record for most wins.

After Montevallo took an early 2-1 lead, Delta State went on a 5-0 run before Savannah Cook tied the game at 6-6 with a 3-pointer at the 5:52 mark. From there, the Falcons relied on the free throw line as Ramie Reid scored five free throws and Julia Susla added a pair as well.

That put the Falcons in the lead, and Cook capped the quarter with another triple to extend the lead to 16-11 after one.

Cook’s hot streak continued with a third 3-pointer just 10 seconds into the quarter which put Montevallo up by eight. She would make her fourth of the game with 8:40 remaining in the second to tie her career high in 3-pointers in a single game, and the Falcons led 22-13 as a result.

However, Delta State came roaring back with an 11-2 run to knot the game up at 24-24 with 5:56 left until halftime, meaning Montevallo needed a response before heading to the locker room.

They got just that from a 5-0 run capped by a Jerrilyn Richardson basket to put the Falcons in front 29-24 with 3:46 to go in the second. The team held on to that two-possession lead down the stretch even as the Statesmen scored in the final seconds of the half to make it a 34-30 game.

Delta State quickly made it a two-point deficit to start the third quarter, but Sorrells and Cook quickly restored a 39-32 lead with 7:25 left in the third.

Both teams started to struggle scoring from there as Montevallo went six minutes without scoring but never gave up the lead, instead holding on to a 39-36 lead with two minutes to go in the third.

While Richardson scored to end the drought, the Statesmen finished the quarter with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 41-39 going into the fourth quarter and then tied the game up at 41-41 in the opening minute of the quarter.

The Falcons responded thanks to two free throws from Lia Edwards and a pair of Anna Katherine Eastman baskets which took the lead back up to 48-43 with 4:56 remaining.

However, that lead was not safe.

Montevallo couldn’t score for the next 4:55 and Delta State capitalized with a 5-0 run capped off by a basket off a steal with 30 seconds to go. That tied the game up at 48-48, and the Falcons dribbled out much of the clock before stopping the clock with three seconds to go.

That set up Sorrells with the chance to hit the game-winning free throws after being fouled on her game-winning 3-point attempt, and she converted to give Montevallo the two-point win.

Cook led the Falcons with 14 points and four rebounds while Sorrells joined her in double figures with 10 points. Eastman earned eight points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals and Reid had eight points and four rebounds.

In addition, Richardson finished with five points, four steals and three rebounds while Edwards secured seven rebounds to go with her three points.

Montevallo improved to 9-11 on the season and 7-8 in GSC play with the victory. The Falcons will head up to Tennessee twice this week to face No. 18 Union on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m. and Christian Brothers on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m.

Montevallo will then return home to start a three-game homestand to finish its home slate, with the first game set for Saturday, Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. at Central State Bank Arena against Auburn-Montgomery as part of homecoming week.

The Falcons men’s basketball team lost 90-85 to Delta State in the back half of the doubleheader to drop to 13-8 and 9-6 in GSC play.