FROM STAFF REPORTS

After trailing almost the entire game, the University of Montevallo men’s basketball team used a late run to send its Peach Belt Conference contest with Georgia College and State University into overtime and then hit key baskets in the extra period to come away with a 80-79 victory Jan. 22.

Junior DeMarcus Catchings led the Falcons (11-4 overall, 4-2 in Peach Belt Conference) with a career-high 22 points and eight rebounds. Catchings was nearly perfect from the field as he hit 9-of-11 shots and drained 4-of-5 free-throw attempts.

Senior Ronald Severtsgaard added 16 points and eight rebounds while hitting 5-of-7 shots from the floor. Junior Antoine Davis had 12 points, eight rebounds and a team-high six assists. Junior Tyrone Gordon added 12 points, a team-high five steals and four assists.

The final Falcon in double figures was sophomore Jonas Brown, who scored 11 points, including a team-high three 3-pointers.

Montevallo had its third-highest field goal percentage of the season as the Falcons hit 54.7 percent of their shots. Georgia College and State University also had a strong offensive game as the Bobcats hit 52.5 percent of their shots.

The Falcons trailed 45-33 at halftime after the Bobcats hit 64 percent of their shots in the first stanza.

With 10:34 left in the second half and the Falcons trailing by 10 points, Montevallo began its comeback. A 6-0 run cut the Bobcats lead to just four points with 7:30 remaining in regulation. With 4:15 left in the game, Davis drained a 3-pointer to cut the Bobcats lead to just one point.

A free throw put the Bobcats back up by two points with 3:58 left. On its next offensive possession, Montevallo fed the ball to Severtsgaard, who was fouled and knocked down a pair of free throws to finally tie the game at 69-69.

After both teams traded baskets, a layup by Catchings with 1:32 left on the clock gave Montevallo its first lead since the 12:10 mark of the first half. An ensuing free throw and a jumper gave the Bobcats a one-point lead. With 38 seconds left in the game, Severtsgaard was fouled again and knocked down one of the two attempts to tie the game at 74-74. Tyrone Gordon stole the ball on the Bobcats’ final possession of regulation.

Georgia College and State University won the tip in overtime and immediately took a two-point lead off a layup. Montevallo answered with a jumper from Gordon.

A missed jumper by the Bobcats allowed Severtsgaard to pick up the rebound before being fouled and sent to the charity stripe once again. Severtsgaard knocked down one of the two attempts, which gave the Falcons a 77-76 lead. The Bobcats answered with a jumper, which gave them a short-lived lead before the final nail in the coffin came at the 1:57 mark when Brown hit a 3-pointer to give the Falcons a 80-78 lead.

Both teams missed a number of shots down the stretch, including numerous free throws, as only one point was scored in the final 1:50 of overtime. The Bobcats hit a free throw with four seconds remaining on the clock to cut the Falcons lead to just one point. Following a pair of missed free throws by Montevallo, the Bobcats’ half-court attempt fell short.