FROM STAFF REPORTS

COLUMBUS, Ga. – The University of Montevallo men’s basketball team got off to a fast start and held on down the stretch for a 75-64 win on the road at Columbus State University in a Peach Belt Conference contest Jan. 24 at the Lumpkin Center.

The Falcons continued their recent streak of sharpshooting from beyond the arc early in the game, knocking down 4-of-5 attempts from 3-point range as they jumped out to a commanding 17-0 lead.

After setting a new school record with 68.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc in their last game, the Falcons shot 57.1 percent from 3-point range in the win over the Cougars.

Sophomore Troran Brown led Montevallo (12-5 overall, 8-2 in Peach Belt Conference) with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Brown also dished out a team-high five assists.

Sophomore Ryan May added 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Senior Drico Hightower chipped in 15 points, on 5-of-8 field-goal attempts, and a team-high six rebounds.

Senior Jonas Brown, in his first action since Jan. 12 after sitting out the past three games with an injury, chipped in eight points on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor and a 2-of-2 performance from beyond the arc off the bench. Fellow senior Marvin Fitzgerald added seven points.

Senior Travis DeShazior finished with three points, four rebounds and four assists. Senior Jeff Hefner and junior Silas Mills contributed two points each in the victory.

The Falcons opened the game with a 17-0 run after knocking down 4-of-5 3-point attempts early in the game. May drained 3-of-4 from beyond the arc during the stretch. May’s 3-pointer with 14:30 left in the first half gave the Falcons a 17-0 lead.

Hightower added a free throw to extend the Falcons’ lead to 18-0 before Columbus State ended a seven-minute scoreless streak to open the game and finally put a point on the scoreboard when Darius Page knocked down 1-of-2 free throws with 12:58 left in the first half.

The Falcons led by as many as 20 points in the opening half, the last time following a layup by Mills with 8:22 remaining in the half.

Columbus State cut the deficit to 35-23 following a 3-pointer by Nick Turner with 1:44 left in the first half. Troran Brown drained a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left in the half to push the Falcons lead to 16 points before the Cougars cut the deficit to 39-25 heading into the locker room at halftime following a pair of free throws by Dimitri Davis with 18 seconds remaining in the half.

The Cougars trimmed the deficit to single digits early in the second half before Montevallo went on a 7-1 run to push its lead to 50-35 following a 3-pointer by Jonas Brown with 13:17 remaining in the game.

Columbus State managed to cut the Falcons’ lead to 69-64 following a pair of free throws by Rory Miller with 1:32 left in the contest. However, Troran Brown made 4-of-4 free throws in the final 1:30 to secure the 11-point victory for Montevallo.

The Falcons return to action Saturday, Jan. 26 with a Peach Belt Conference contest against Armstrong Atlantic State University at BankTrust Arena. Tip off is set for 3:30 p.m.