FROM STAFF REPORTS

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The University of Montevallo men’s basketball team defeated Georgia College 66-52 in its final road contest of the regular season in Peach Belt Conference play Feb. 23.

The Falcons (17-8 overall, 13-5 in Peach Belt Conference) have clinched the No. 1 seed in the West Division in the upcoming Peach Belt Conference tournament.

Senior Drico Hightower led Montevallo with 24 points, just two points shy of his career high. Hightower, who grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, finished 8-of-9 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe in the victory.

Sophomore Troran Brown added 15 points, five rebounds and a team-high five assists. Brown finished 6-of-14 from the field in the win.

Senior Marvin Fitzgerald contributed 11 points and six rebounds. Fellow senior Travis DeShazior and sophomore Ryan May chipped in five points each.

Junior Silas Mills provided four points and five rebounds off the bench, while senior Jonas Brown finished with two points and five boards.

Tarrence Chatman knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Bobcats an early lead, but the Falcons opened the game with a 12-7 run to take the momentum away from the home team during homecoming festivities. Hightower capped the run with a three-point play with 13:49 left in the opening half.

The Falcons stretched their lead to 21-14 following a 3-pointer by Troran Brown with 10:13 left in the first half. Montevallo led by as many as nine points in the opening half, the last time on a layup by Hightower with 1:04 left in the half, which gave the Falcons a 30-21 advantage.

David Wagner knocked down 1-of-2 free throws at the end of the first half to cut the Montevallo lead to 30-22 entering the locker room at halftime.

The Falcons opened the second half with a 7-2 run to take their first double-digit lead in the contest. Hightower drained a pair of free throws with 17:53 left in the game to cap the run and give Montevallo a 37-24 lead.

Georgia College chipped away at the deficit midway through the second half, eventually cutting the deficit to 47-42 following a layup by Royal Thomas with 10:21 left in the game.

However, the Falcons countered with a 6-0 run to push their lead back to double digits. Mills capped the run with a layup with 7:56 remaining, which gave Montevallo a 53-42 advantage.

Quin Bivins knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:46 left in the game to cut the Falcons’ lead to 59-50, but Troran Brown added a couple of timely baskets and Hightower converted a three-point play in the final minute to seal the win.

Montevallo returns to action Saturday, March 2 with its final regular season game against Peach Belt Conference newcomer Young Harris College. The Falcons fell to the Mountain Lions 92-84 in the first meeting between the two teams this season.

The Falcons will celebrate the careers of Hightower, Fitzgerald, DeShazior, Brown,  Jeff Hefner and Danny Cummins as part of Senior Day festivities. Tip off is set for 3:30 p.m.