MONTEVALLO, Ala. – With a win over Columbus State University on Wednesday night, the University of Montevallo men's basketball team clinched its fourth straight Peach Belt Conference West Division Championship.
The Falcons defeated the Cougars by the final of 74-73.
To open up the game, Columbus State scored the first nine points. A three-pointer from Kenny Funderburk and two and-ones from big men Shane Heyward and DeAngelo Kirkland.
Montevallo responded with a 29-13 run that culminated with UM extending its lead to a game-high seven points with 5:42 remaining in the half.
That run ended with eight straight points from Troran Brown, who scored a game-high 16 points in the first half.
The Falcons led 35-29 at the break, paced by Brown's 16 points. The senior from Phoenix, Arizona also had a game-high five assists at halftime.
In the second half, the game was an incredibly tight contest. Fighting for their opportunity to remain in the hunt for a conference championship, Columbus State erased the halftime deficit less than seven minutes after the team returned to the floor.
For a period of more than 13 minutes, the teams traded the lead on several occasions, but the gap between the two sides never exceeded three points.
With less than a two and a half minutes showing on the clock, Brown finally pushed the Falcon lead to two possessions, hitting one of his five three-pointers on the night.
Five straight points from Funderburk and Heyward tied the game yet again with just over a minute to play, but Brown then proceeded to make two free throws to put the Falcons back on top.
Senior Larry Slaughter then made two shots from the line to extend the UM lead even further, making it a two-possession, four-point game with 32 seconds to play.
Brent Jackson made a three for the Cougars with 10 seconds to go in the game, cutting the Falcon lead to just a single point. A Montevallo turnover on the inbounds play gave Columbus State a chance to win before time ran out, but the visiting Cougars could not convert.
Montevallo (19-8, 15-2) clinched the PBC West for the fourth straight year with the 74-73 win.
Brown finished with a game-best 27 points and nine assists. The reigning conference player of the year is also the Peach Belt leader in both of those categories.
Slaughter finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks.
Off the bench, Ibrahim Johnson and Bryant Orange each played large roles. Johnson had eight points and three blocks, while Orange had 10 points to go along with four assists.
Shykeem Jackson led the Falcons in rebounds, collecting nine boards in addition to his 10 points.
Ryan May had five points, and Malik Fields had four rebounds.
The Falcons can earn the outright regular season Peach Belt Conference Championship for the first time in program history with a win Saturday, February 21, at Flagler or with losses from both UNC Pembroke and GRU Augusta.
