FROM STAFF REPORTS

YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – The University of Montevallo men’s basketball team fell to Young Harris College 92-84 on the road in Peach Belt Conference play Jan. 31.

Senior Drico Hightower led the Falcons (13-6 overall, 9-3 in Peach Belt Conference) with a career-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the floor. Hightower, who knocked down 4-of-4 free-throw attempts, also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds as he posted his seventh double-double of the season.

Hightower, who made a career-high 11 field goals, also dished out five assists and finished with three steals.

Sophomore Troran Brown added 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field. Brown, who entered the contest second in the Peach Belt Conference with a 47.4 shooting percentage from beyond the arc, finished 1-of-7 from 3-point range.

Senior Marvin Fitzgerald chipped in 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor and a 4-of-7 performance at the charity stripe. Junior Silas Mills finished with eight points on 4-of-4 shooting from the floor off the bench.

Sophomore Ryan May contributed seven points, while senior Jonas Brown chipped in six points. Fellow senior Danny Cummins finished with five points off the bench.

Hightower keyed a 4-0 run to open the game for the Falcons with a pair of free throws and a layup in the first two minutes of the game.

Young Harris responded with a 16-2 run, capped with a 3-pointer by Vince Martin, to take its first double-digit lead in the game with 11:54 remaining in the opening half.

Montevallo chipped away at the deficit, with a 3-pointer by May tying the game at 21-21 with 6:45 left in the first half. Another 4-0 run by Hightower following a jumper and a pair of free throws late in the first half gave the Falcons a 29-25 advantage with 4:24 left in the half.

The Mountain Lions closed the opening half with a 6-2 run to carry a 36-35 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Montevallo opened the second half with a 6-0 run, capped with a layup by Jonas Brown, which gave the Falcons a 41-36 lead with 17:36 left in the game.

May drained a 3-pointer 21 seconds later to give Montevallo a 43-39 advantage, but Young Harris quickly took momentum with a 9-0 run. Michael Matta knocked down a 3-pointer with 14:35 left in the game to give the Mountain Lions a 48-43 lead.

Young Harris went on a 14-0 run midway through the second half to turn a one-point lead into a 64-59 advantage, capped with a 3-pointer with 10:01 remaining in the game.

The Mountain Lions held a double-digit lead until a layup by Hightower trimmed the deficit to 76-67 with 3:13 left in the game. Cummins knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:39 remaining to cut the Young Harris lead to 80-72, but the Mountain Lions went 9-of-10 at the free-throw line in the final two minutes to keep the Falcons from making a comeback.

Montevallo returns to action Saturday, Jan. 31 with a home game against the University of North Georgia at BankTrust Arena. The Peach Belt Conference contest is set to tip off at 3:30 p.m.