MORROW, Ga. – Behind a big second half that saw the University of Montevallo men's basketball team outscore Clayton State by 21 points, the Falcons remained atop the Peach Belt Conference with a road win against the Lakers, 77-61.
After one half of play, the Falcons trailed the Lakers by five points. Seven Lakers scored in the half, led by JC Bonny and Kelsey Terry, who each had six points.
Coming out for the second half, UM scored the first seven points and took the lead just over a minute into play.
The Montevallo post players were responsible for the 7-0 run, with junior Malik Fields making a pair of baskets and senior Larry Slaughter fighting through a foul to make a layup and convert the free throw.
After trading the lead back and forth for the next few minutes, Montevallo took control once and for all with 13:47 showing on the clock after a Troran Brown layup.
Brown, the senior from Phoenix, Arizona, scored 19 points for the game. He's currently the PBC leader in points per game. He also leads the conference in assists and had a game-high six assists on Saturday.
Slaughter finished with a game-high 22 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. It's the ninth double-double of the year for the senior. He leads the conference in field goal percentage.
Senior Ryan May had 17 points, shooting better than 50% from the field, 50% from beyond the arc, and 100% from the free throw line. May is currently third in the conference in three-point percentage, making 46.6% of his shots from deep on the year.
In the second half, Montevallo's offense thrived. They shot 69.2% from the field, 60% from three-point territory, and 84.6% from the free throw line.
The Falcons have now won 14 of their last 16 games and are in first place in the Peach Belt Conference with three games remaining in the schedule.
Next up for Montevallo (18-8, 14-2) is a rematch with Columbus State. It will be the second time in a week that the Falcons and Cougars will play. If the Falcons are victorious in the game, they will win the PBC West Championship for the fourth season in a row.
