FROM STAFF REPORTS

The University of Montevallo women’s basketball team picked up its first Peach Belt Conference win of the season Jan. 8 in dominating fashion as the Falcons defeated Georgia Southwestern State University, 71-45.

The Falcons took a commanding halftime lead after outscoring the Hurricanes 38-12 in the first half.

Montevallo (5-6 overall, 1-1 in Peach Belt Conference) had three players score 13 points each, including Tiaren Young, Kris Seigenthaler and Tiffany McClure.

Young was nearly perfect as she hit 6-of-7 shots from the floor, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists.

Seigenthaler was 5-of-8 from the field, including a perfect 3-of-3 from 3-point range. McClure hit 6-of-7 shots from the floor while dishing out four assists.

Senior Jessica Collins came close to a triple-double as she had nine rebounds, nine assists and seven steals. Collins also chipped in six points.

Davia Harris and Carrie Parrott grabbed seven rebounds each. Harris chipped in six points. Parrott finished with seven points.

The Falcons shot a season-high 59.3 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from 3-point range. The Falcons held Georgia Southwestern to 21.5 percent shooting, including 7.1 percent from 3-point range.

Montevallo outscored the Hurricanes 19-9 in the opening 10 minutes of the game. Following a Georgia Southwestern jumper at the 9:28 mark of the first half, the Falcons went on a 19-1 run to end the half leading 38-12.

Montevallo went on a 14-2 run over the first four minutes of the second half, powered by eight points from Seigenthaler, who nailed a pair of 3-pointers. Up 52-14, the Falcons coasted the rest of the game and took their largest lead at the 10:40 mark as Harris hit a jumper to put the Falcons ahead 63-23.

Montevallo men drop conference opener

The University of Montevallo men’s basketball team dropped its Peach Belt Conference home opener Jan. 8 to Georgia Southwestern State University, 65-55.

The Falcons, who entered the contest ranked No. 19 in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Division II poll, once again ran into a hot-shooting team. The Hurricanes hit 75 percent of their shots in the second half to finish with a 51.2 percent shooting percentage for the game.

Montevallo (8-3 overall, 1-1 in Peach Belt Conference) hit just 37.5 percent of its shots, including 26.9 percent in the first half.

Juniors Antoine Davis and Ryan Westbrooks led the Falcons with 13 points each.

Davis added a team-high six rebounds and three steals. Junior DeMarcus Catchings added nine points and five rebounds to the effort. Senior Cecil Coleman had eight points as well.

The Falcons never led in the game, as the Hurricanes outscored the Falcons 22-4 in the opening 10 minutes. Montevallo was never able to get closer than 14 points in the first half as the Hurricanes led 33-17 at halftime.

The Hurricanes built their lead to 20 points at the 13:30 mark of the second half. The Falcons responded with a 12-4 run, sparked by a Westbrooks’ 3-pointer. The Hurricanes were able to respond with a 6-2 run to retake a 16-point lead with just five minutes to play.

The Falcons were able to cut the Hurricanes’ lead to under 10 points with 31 seconds to play as they trailed 64-55, but couldn’t get any closer in the final minute.

Montevallo picked up an impressive 98-76 win over the University of West Florida on Jan. 4.

The Falcons shot 62.5 percent from the field and put up its highest point total of the season. Montevallo was nearly perfect from the free-throw line, hitting 23-of-26 from the charity stripe for an 88.5 shooting percentage.

Westbrooks led the Falcons with 25 points. Westbrooks hit 9-of-12 shots from the field and was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.

Davis scored 21 points while hitting 8-of-11 shots from the field and going a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Davis also tied for the team lead in rebounds with four boards and recorded three steals.

Coleman chipped in 17 points while hitting 5-of-8 shots and going a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.

The Falcons held the Argonauts to just 46.7 percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers.

Montevallo outscored the Argos 12-6 in the opening five minutes of the game and the Falcons controlled the rest of the game. With 3:50 left in the first half and the Falcons up by four, Montevallo went on a 13-3 run to end the half and take a 49-35 lead at the break.

The Falcons coasted in the second half as they led by double-digits the entire period. Montevallo’s largest lead came at the 9:41 mark, as Westbrooks hit a pair of free throws to put the Falcons ahead by 25 points. The Argos cut the lead to 15 points late in the half before Montevallo closed the game with an 8-1 run.

Six men’s soccer players named to all-region scholar team

The University of Montevallo men’s soccer team was awarded six spots on the 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of America Scholar All-South Region Teams.

Junior Vance Carro, a Spain Park graduate, joined junior teammate Stephen Beatty and seniors Alex Ghoja, Daniel Pelletier, Milan Pualic and James Steer were named to the list. Montevallo was tops among Peach Belt Conference schools with six members on the list.

Pualic was named first team. Beatty and Pelletier picked up second team nods. Curro, Ghoja and Steer were all named honorable mention.

“I’m extremely proud of what our players have achieved throughout the year,” said Montevallo men’s soccer coach Ken Hassley. “The University of Montevallo provides a tremendous blend of outstanding academics and elite athletics. We build our teams around players that are incredibly talented and highly motivated then challenge and encourage them to strive for excellence in all that they do. By earning this award, it is clear that our players are succeeding as true student-athletes.”

Beatty has a 3.46 grade-point average in management. Curro has a 3.74 GPA in marketing. Ghoja has a 3.34 GPA in kinesiology, Pelletier has a 3.35 GPA in marketing, Pualic has a 3.54 GPA in marketing and Steer has a 3.57 GPA in marketing.

In addition to his all-region nomination, Pualic was also named 2010 NSCAA Men’s College Scholar All-America Team College Division. The College Division includes all Division II and Division III schools.

Pualic was named a second team midfielder and was the only Peach Belt Conference representative on the list.

Pualic was named first team NSCAA All-Southeast Region this year. He was selected first team NSCAA All-South Region in 2008 and third team NSCAA All-Southeast Region last season. He was named first team Daktronics All-Southeast Region this season. He was also awarded first team Daktronics All-South Region in 2008.

Pualic was picked first team All-Peach Belt Conference this season and second team All-PBC last season. He was named first team All-Gulf South Conference his sophomore season. His freshman season he was selected as the most valuable player of the NCAA regional tournament.

Pualic ended the 2010 season ranked 15th in the NCAA in total assists (9), 25th in assists per game (0.47), 57th in total points (25), and 71st in points per game (1.32). Pualic also ranked first in assists and assists per game in the Peach Belt Conference. He was fourth in points and goals and fifth in points per game and goals per game in the PBC.

Pualic was named third team Academic All-District by CoSIDA.

Pualic was a member of the PBC All-Academic Team both this season and last. He was named to the PBC Presidential Honor Roll last season and was selected to the GSC Honor Roll his sophomore and freshman seasons.