FROM STAFF REPORTS

MONTEVALLO – The University of Montevallo women’s basketball team fell to the University of North Georgia 82-76 in a Peach Belt Conference contest Feb. 2 in front of a home crowd wearing pink at BankTrust Arena.

The Falcons honored breast cancer survivors as part of their annual Play 4Kay effort during halftime and the program’s alumni as part of the 40^th anniversary of women’s basketball at Montevallo immediately after the game before hosting a luncheon for their special guests in the Hall of Fame Room. The team also hosted a silent auction and sold pink t-shirts for $10 each with proceeds benefitting the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Senior Trena Moore-Smith led the Falcons (13-9 overall, 8-5 in Peach Belt Conference) with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Moore-Smith also dished out a team-high seven assists.

Fellow senior Zena Nasiloski added 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor to go along with seven rebounds. Senior Alex Strickland chipped in 13 points, on 5-of-11 shooting from the field, and a team-high eight rebounds.

Sophomore Taylor Beverly and freshman Jacquelyn Thompson contributed 12 points each. Senior Carolyn Taite finished with seven points and six rebounds off the bench, while junior Shay Bonner contributed three points, four rebounds and three assists.

North Georgia opened the game with a 8-1 run, capped with a layup by Mimi Hill, to take early momentum in the first four minutes.

The Falcons responded with a 19-11 run to take their first lead in the game with 8:38 remaining in the first half. Beverly drained a jumper off a feed from Moore-Smith to give the Falcons a 20-19 advantage midway through the opening half.

Jaymee Carnes scored a basket on the Saints next possession to give North Georgia a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.  North Georgia led by as many as six points late in the first half before carrying a 36-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Saints opened the second half with a 11-4 run to take their first double-digit lead in the game. A layup by Carnes gave North Georgia a 47-36 advantage with 17:27 left in the game.

The Falcons used a 6-0 run a few minutes later to cut the deficit to 52-47 following a 3-pointer by Moore-Smith with 14:28 remaining in the second half. North Georgia pushed its lead to 65-51 with just under 10 minutes remaining.

Montevallo made one final run to trim the North Georgia lead to 78-72 with 1:02 remaining following a jumper by Beverly. However, the Saints made four free throws down the stretch to hold off the Falcons.

Montevallo returns to action Thursday, Feb. 7 with a home game against Georgia College at BankTrust Arena. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m. CST.