FROM STAFF REPORTS

COLUMBUS, Ga. – The University of Montevallo men’s basketball team fell to USC Aiken 65-60 in the Peach Belt Conference tournament championship game March 10 at the Frank G. Lumpkin Center on the Columbus State University campus.

The Falcons, the No. 1 seed in the West Division, were outscored 21-5 at the free-throw line in the title game against the Pacers, the No. 1 seed in the East Division.

Montevallo will await the NCAA Division II men’s basketball tournament selection show at 9:30 p.m. CST to find out if it will advance to the tournament for the eighth time in the past 10 seasons.

Sophomore Troran Brown led Montevallo (20-9) with 17 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the floor. Brown also grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists.

Senior Drico Hightower and sophomore Ryan May added 13 points each. Hightower finished with seven rebounds, while May grabbed eight rebounds.

Senior Jonas Brown added eight points, while fellow senior Marvin Fitzgerald chipped in seven points. JuniorSilas Mills finished with two points and three rebounds off the bench. Senior Travis DeShazior finished with two rebounds.

USC Aiken was led by Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year Re’Mon Nelson, who finished 9-of-11 at the free-throw line on his way to a game-high 20 points.

May knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Falcons an early lead before the Pacers responded with a 18-9 run. USC Aiken took a 18-12 lead on a 3-pointer by Ronald Zimmerman with 10:51 remaining in the first half.

Montevallo closed the half with a 19-8 run to take a 31-27 lead at halftime. Fitzgerald made a 3-pointer with 1:38 remaining in to key the run late in the first half.

The Falcons extended their lead to 41-27, their largest lead in the game, with 16:04 remaining in the game following a layup by Brown.

USC Aiken responded with a 18-4 run to go 47-45 with 9:39 remaining in the game. The Pacers wouldn’t relinquish the lead down the stretch, as Nelson scored 16 points in the final 11 minutes of the game to lift USC Aiken to its second conference tournament championship in four years.