Montevallo athletics roundup: Falcons continue home winning streak

Published 11:18 am Tuesday, January 18, 2011

University of Montevallo junior Taylor Welch led the Falcons with 15 points in a 78-63 win over Armstrong Atlantic State University in a Peach Belt Conference contest Jan. 17. (Contributed)

FROM STAFF REPORTS

The University of Montevallo women’s basketball team extended its home unbeaten streak to six games as the Falcons downed Armstrong Atlantic State University 78-63 in Peach Belt Conference play.

The Falcons improved to 6-0 at BankTrust Arena following the Jan. 17 victory.

Montevallo (7-6 overall, 3-1 in Peach Belt Conference) was led by junior Taylor Welch, who scored 15 points, including four 3-pointers.

Senior Jessica Collins had 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

Junior Shavonne Seymore added 11 points and four boards. Senior Kris Seigenthaler had 10 points.

Senior Carrie Parrott and junior Tiffany McClure added nine points each.

The Falcons outrebounded the Pirates 41-31, including a 16-6 advantage in offensive boards. Those 16 offensive rebounds allowed Montevallo to hold a 25-4 advantage in second-chance points.

The Falcons went on a 12-0 run late in the first half, powered by five points from both Welch and Parrott, and took a 36-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Pirates opened the second half with a 15-7 run to cut the Falcons’ lead to just six points, but a 3-pointer from Seigenthaler sparked a 9-0 run to help Montevallo retake a 15-point advantage.

The lead would remain in double-digits the rest of the game and the Falcons eventually pushed it to as many as 18 points after Welch and freshman Alex Strickland combined to make four-consecutive 3-pointers.

The Falcons defeated Flagler College 65-49 in a Peach Belt Conference game Jan. 15.

Montevallo was led by McClure, who scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and snagged four steals.

Junior Davia Harris chipped in 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.

Seymore picked up nine points, eight rebounds and seven steals. Seymore’s seven steals rank second in the Montevallo record book for most steals in a single game.

Collins dished out a team-high seven assists while scoring six points.

The Falcons shot 47.3 percent from the field while holding the Saints to just 37 percent shooting. Montevallo also forced 34 Flagler turnovers and converted them into 32 points.

Flagler held a 19-13 lead with 9:07 to go in the first half before Montevallo scored the next 11 points to grab a 24-19 lead and never looked back. The run was part of an 18-4 spurt by the Falcons to close out the half with a 31-23 lead.

A Flagler jumper with 11:39 left in the game brought the Saints back to within four points at 38-34, but the Falcons closed the game on a 14-5 run over the final 5:25 to seal the victory.

Montevallo men down the Saints

The University of Montevallo men’s basketball team took down Flagler College 59-53 in Peach Belt Conference action Jan. 15 inside BankTrust Arena.

The Falcons (9-4 overall, 3-2 in Peach Belt Conference) were led by junior DeMarcus Catchings, who recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Senior Ronald Severtsgaard came up just two rebounds shy of a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Jonas Brown added 10 points. Junior Antoine Davis had eight points and eight rebounds.

The Falcons shot just 35 percent from the field but used 20 offensive rebounds to keep the lead. Montevallo also forced 19 turnovers, which allowed the Falcons to hold a 24-12 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Montevallo defense held the Saints to 18 first-half points — the lowest point total in a half by the Saints in more than four years.

The Falcons raced out to a 20-8 lead and never looked back. Montevallo held a 29-18 lead at the break after leading by as many as 17 points points in the opening half.

Trailing 44-28, Flagler chipped away and was able to cut the margin to single digits after a layup with 8:55 to play capped an 8-0 run. Davis scored on a transition layup to give the Falcons a 48-36 lead with 7:13 left in the game.

The Saints made a late run, capped by a pair of free throws, with 28 seconds left to cut the deficit to 53-50. However, Montevallo nailed all six of its free-throw attempts to put the game out of reach.

An Armstrong Atlantic State University 3-pointer with one second remaining in overtime downed the Falcons 67-66 in a Peach Belt Conference game Jan. 17.

The Falcons had hit a 3-pointer four seconds earlier to go up by one point, but a quick inbound pass and dribble up the floor allowed the Pirates to get an open look. Chris Edwards knocked down the 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left on the clock.

Montevallo was led by Severtsgaard, who had 16 points and eight rebounds. Catchings added 13 points and seven rebounds. Brown and Ryan Westbrooks added 10 points each.

A wild final sequence saw the lead change hands four times in the final minute of overtime.

With Montevallo presumably holding for the final shot, Westbrooks drained a 3-pointer with 5.5 seconds left to put the Falcons up 66-64. However, Edwards 3-point basket handed the Falcons their second conference defeat.

Montevallo jumped out to a 16-4 lead in the first nine minutes of the contest – including seven points from Severtsgaard, who also canned a 3-pointer on his first attempt of the season from beyond the arc. The Pirates cut the lead to seven on a Grant Domsic 3-pointer to give the Falcons a 28-21 halftime lead.

A Jesse Wheeler field goal on the first possession of the second half cut the Falcons’ lead to five, but Montevallo held the Pirates scoreless for the next 8:05 and stretched the lead to 14 points at 41-27 with 11:26 remaining.

The Pirates went on a 31-12 run to take a 58-53 lead with 2:09 remaining in regulation. A jumper by Severtsgaard with 1:31 left cut the Pirates lead to just three points.

Brown tied the game with just more than 35 seconds to play in regulation as he drained a 3-pointer from the right side on an assist by Westbrooks.

The Pirates had two lay-up attempts in the final 30 seconds but were unable to score to send the game to overtime.