FROM STAFF REPORTS

The University of Montevallo men’s basketball team won the Peach Belt Conference West Division title Feb. 25 in dominating fashion as they downed the Saints of North Georgia College and State University, 81-67.

The Falcons (21-7 overall, 12-5 in Peach Belt Conference) secured the West Division’s No. 1 seed in the Peach Belt Conference tournament with the win.

Montevallo was led by a pair of seniors, including D.J. Rivera and Antoine Davis.

All five of the Falcon seniors were honored prior to the game including Rivera, Davis, Jervan Jackson, DeMarcus Catchings and Chauncey Thompson.

Rivera scored 20 points and grabbed nine boards, falling just short of a double-double. Davis had 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds coming just short of a triple-double.

Junior Jonas Brown had nine points, all coming from beyond the 3-point line. Catchings added seven points and seven rebounds while Jackson had eight rebounds and four points.

The Falcons shot 42.9 percent from the field while holding North Georgia to 30.0 percent. Both teams struggled from the free throw line shooting below 70 percent for the game. Montevallo dominated the glass out-rebounding the Saints 55-36 including 20 offensive boards.

The Falcons controlled the interior out-scoring the Saints 44-14 in the paint.

Montevallo opened the game on a 12-3 run to set the tone for the game. The Saints were able to cut the lead to just five points midway through the first half but a 16-5 run by the Falcons re-opened the lead to 16 points. A small run to close the half gave the Falcons a 41-21 lead heading into the break.

The game was never close in the second half as the Falcons began to coast to the victory. Davis and Rivera hooked up on a couple of alley-oops as the game took on an up-tempo pace. Montevallo’s largest lead was 25-points which came with 6:59 left in the second. The game would end on a buzzer-beater from the Saints to cut the lead to 81-67.

The Falcons will now travel to Columbus State University for the 2012 Peach Belt Conference tournament. Montevallo will take on UNC-Pembroke at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 2.