FROM STAFF REPORTS

MONTEVALLO – The University of Montevallo men’s basketball team fell to Augusta State University 75-73 in its first Peach Belt Conference road contest Dec. 17 at Christenberry Fieldhouse.

Senior Drico Hightower led the Falcons (5-4 overall, 1-1 in Peach Belt Conference) with 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor and a 9-of-12 performance from the charity stripe. Hightower also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds to post his third double-double of the season.

Senior Marvin Fitzgerald finished with 15 points and nine boards, just one rebound shy of his sixth double-double. Fitzgerald knocked down 6-of-12 attempts from the floor.

Sophomore Troran Brown contributed 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Sophomore Ryan May chipped in 10 points.

Seniors Jonas Brown and Travis DeShazior added seven points and five points, respectively. Senior Danny Cummins finished with two points off the bench.

The Falcons jumped out to an early 10-4 lead in the first five minutes of the game, with Jonas Brown’s 3-pointer giving Montevallo a six-point cushion at the 15:33 mark in the opening half.

Montevallo led by as many as seven points in the first half, 14-7, following a jumper by Troran Brown with 12:08 left in the opening half. Augusta State slowly chipped away at the lead down the stretch before carrying a 36-32 lead into the locker room at halftime following a 3-pointer by Ryan Weems with six seconds remaining in the first half.

The Falcons opened the second half with a 7-4 run to trim the deficit to 40-39 following a 3-pointer by Troran Brown with 17:41 left in the game.

Augusta State pushed its lead to 48-41 on a 3-pointer by Weems at the 13:46 mark in the second half. After the Falcons cut the deficit to 51-47 with 10:24 left in the game following a pair of free throws by Fitzgerald, Weems knocked down another 3-pointer to push the Jaguars’ lead back to seven points.

Devon Wright-Nelson drained a pair of free throws with 8:24 left in the game to give Augusta State its first double-digit lead in the game, 59-49. The Jaguars continued to hold a comfortable lead until May drained a jumper with 28 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 71-68.

However, Augusta State knocked down 4-of-4 attempts at the charity stripe in the final 28 seconds to secure the victory.

Montevallo returns to action Jan. 3 when the Falcons host Flagler College in a Peach Belt Conference contest at BankTrust Arena. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m