Falcons drop conference game against Clayton State

Published 8:24 am Monday, February 18, 2013

MONTEVALLO –  The University of Montevallo women’s basketball team dropped a Peach Belt Conference contest Feb. 16 against undefeated Clayton State University 75-61 at Trustmark Arena.

The Falcons (15-11 overall, 10-7 in Peach Belt Conference) trimmed a 19-point second-half deficit to just 10 points before the Lakers, who entered the game 23-0 and ranked No. 3 in the latest USA Today/ESPN NCAA Division II women’s basketball poll, held off

Montevallo down the stretch.

Senior Taylor Beverly led the Falcons with 22 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the floor and a 10-of-13 performance at the charity stripe. Beverly also grabbed nine rebounds.

Freshman Jacquelyn Thompson added 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the floor. Junior Shay Bonner chipped in nine points and five boards.

Senior Carolyn Taite contributed seven points and seven rebounds, while fellow senior Alex Strickland finished with six points and six boards. Senior Trena Moore-Smith added three points and a team-high four assists. Senior Zena Nasiloski, who grabbed nine rebounds, and freshman Katie Colson chipped in two points each.

Clayton State opened the game with a 10-2 run, capped with a layup by Kayla Mobley with 16:10 remaining in the first half. The Lakers stretched their lead to as many as 23 points following a layup by Keona Dixon, which gave Clayton State a 36-13 lead with 4:11 left in the first half.

Montevallo cut the deficit to 36-25 following a pair of free throws by Beverly with 1:17 left in the half before the Lakers carried a 42-25 lead into the locker room at haltime.

Shacamra Jackson knocked down a jumper with 18:44 left in the game to give the Lakers a 44-25 advantage. The Falcons responded with a 16-7 run to cut the deficit to 51-41 following a three-point play by Beverly with 11:54 remaining in the game. However, the Lakers pushed their lead back to 59-43 on a pair of free throws by Shannon Smith and held on to a double-digit lead the rest of the game.

The Falcons return to action Saturday, Feb. 23 with a trip to Milledgeville, Ga. to face Georgia College in a Peach Belt Conference contest. Tip off is set for 12:30 p.m. CST.