FROM STAFF REPORTS

University of Montevallo junior Troran Brown finished just one point shy of his career high as he led the Falcons with 30 points in a 95-72 loss on the road at top-ranked Kentucky in front of the largest crowd in school history at historic Rupp Arena in an exhibition game Nov. 4.

Brown finished 12-of-34 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe in the exhibition game, which was televised regionally by Fox Sports South.

“I thought we came out and played very hard considering the depth we had,” said Montevallo men’s basketball coach Danny Young. “We don’t have a lot of depth and (Kentucky) has such great depth and length inside. They are so well coached, but I thought our guys came out and played as hard as we could and did a pretty good job.”

Brown was pleased with the Falcons’ performance against the Wildcats in front of an announced crowd of 20,039.

“I thought we came out, played pretty hard against a good, talented team,” Brown said. “I thought we fought on both ends of the floor and did what our coach asked. Bringing a lot of energy.”

Juniors Ed’Lexus Collier and Shykeem Jackson added 11 points each.  Jackson, who finished 4-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

Junior Da-Juan Cooper added nine points and five rebounds. Sophomore Ryan May finished with three points, while senior Orlando Brazier and junior Silas Mills contributed two points each.

The Falcons impressed Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari in the exhibition game.

“Montevallo, they came out — greatest thing was there were some juniors and seniors, and the kids balled,” Calipari said. “They weren’t afraid. They were physical. They banged, they were not backing down.”

The Falcons opened the game with a 9-2 run against the Wildcats, who enter the season ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press college basketball poll. Cooper scored a pair of early baskets to spark the Falcons in the first three minutes.

Kentucky responded with a 14-0 run and eventually extended its lead to as many as 14 points down the stretch in the first half, but the Falcons trimmed the deficit to 46-35 at halftime following a 6-3 run to end the half.

Brown led the Falcons with 14 points in the opening half.

Montevallo cut the margin to 46-38 following a 3-pointer by Jackson in the opening minute of the second half.

The Wildcats extended their lead to 65-46 before the Falcons went on a 10-2 run to trim the deficit to 11 points following a 3-pointer by Brown with 9:36 remaining in the game.

Kentucky closed the game with a 28-16 run to end the game.

The Falcons will open the regular season Saturday, Nov. 9 at home against the University of West Florida. Tip-off at Trustmark Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.