MONTEVALLO, Ala. – University of Montevallo junior Troran Brown finished just shy of a double-double with a game-high 28 points and nine assists as he led the nationally-ranked Falcons to a 82-77 win over visiting Lander University in a Peach Belt Conference contest Jan. 4.
Brown finished 10-of-15 from the floor, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, while knocking down all four attempts at the charity stripe in the victory.
Junior Shykeem Jackson added 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Falcons, who improved to 10-1 overall and 3-1 in Peach Belt Conference play after shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 53 percent from beyond the arc. Montevallo is ranked No. 17 in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NCAA Division II poll.
Junior Ryan May chipped in 10 points, while senior Silas Mills and junior Ed'Lexus Collier finished with nine points each. Mills grabbed seven rebounds. Senior Orlando Brazier added eight points and seven rebounds, while junior Da-Juan Cooper finished with seven points and six boards.
Montevallo opened the game with an 18-7 run to take its first double-digit lead following a jumper by Cooper with 12:02 left in the opening half.
The Falcons led by as many as 13 points in the first half, the last time following a pair of free throws by Brown with 2:53 remaining, which gave Montevallo a 34-21 advantage. The Falcons carried a 36-25 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Lander trimmed the Falcons' lead to 36-32 early in the second half following a 7-0 run, capped with a 3-pointer by J.R. Washington. Montevallo responded with a 14-7 run of its own to push its lead back to double digits following a jumper by Brown with 11:42 left in the game.
The Falcons extended their lead to 64-51 following a dunk by Collier with 6:23 remaining in the game, but the Bearcats used a 20-9 run to trim the deficit to two points following a 3-pointer by Michael Panaggio. The 3-pointer by Panaggio cut the Falcons' lead to 73-71 with 1:54 left in the game.
However, the Falcons made 9-of-10 attempts at the charity stripe in the final two minutes to secure the victory.
The Falcons return to action Wednesday, Jan. 8 with a home game against the University of North Georgia in Peach Belt Conference play.
Tip-off at Trustmark Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.
