FROM STAFF REPORTS

YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – The University of Montevallo women’s basketball team picked up a 72-61 win on the road at Young Harris College after shooting nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc in the Peach Belt Conference contest Jan. 31.

The Falcons shot 46.7 percent from 3-point range after knocking down 7-of-15 3-point attempts in the victory.

Sophomore Taylor Beverly led Montevallo (13-8 overall, 8-4 in Peach Belt Conference) with 25 points as she drained a career-high 12 field goals while shooting 12-of-21 from the floor. Beverly also grabbed seven rebounds.

Senior Trena Moore-Smith added 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. Moore-Smith, who finished 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, grabbed three rebounds and dished out a team-high four assists.

Freshman Jacquelyn Thompson contributed nine points off the bench. Senior Zena Nasiloski chipped in eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while junior Shay Bonner finished with six points.

Freshman Jasmine Newsome added three points, while senior Carolyn Taite and freshman Jasmine Thomas finished with two points each.

Moore-Smith was on fire from beyond the arc early in the game, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the game while helping the Falcons jump out to a 14-4 lead.

Newsome and Moore-Smith drained a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to help Montevallo extend its lead to 34-16 with 7:38 remaining in the opening half.

The Mountain Lions cut the deficit to single digits following a 3-pointer by Breanna Gleeson with 1:37 left in the half before Nasiloski and Beverly each scored a basket in the final minute to send the Falcons into the locker room at halftime with a 42-29 lead.

Gleeson knocked down a 3-pointer in the opening 20 seconds of the second half to cut the Falcons’ lead to 42-32 before Montevallo responded with a 10-4 run. A layup by Taite with 14:20 left in the game gave the Falcons a 52-36 lead.

Montevallo led by as many as 17 points in the second half when Thompson drained a jumper with 11:48 remaining, which gave the Falcons a 56-39 advantage.

Young Harris trimmed the Falcons’ lead to 58-47 with just more than seven minutes left in the game, but a quick 4-0 run following a pair of free throws by Moore-Smith and a layup by Beverly helped Montevallo limit any chances of a comeback by the Mountain Lions.

Montevallo returns to action at BankTrust Arena on Saturday, Feb. 2 with a home game against the University of North Georgia. The Falcons will be honoring breast cancer survivors during their Play 4Kay event, as well as celebrating the program’s alumni as part of its 40th anniversary celebration.

The team will be selling pink t-shirts for $10 each and will host a silent auction during the game with proceeds benefitting the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Tip off is set for 1:30 p.m.