SCORE

Montevallo 85, Georgia College 77

RECORD

Montevallo (11-6 overall, 7-3 in Peach Belt Conference)

Georgia College 14-5 overall, 7-3 in Peach Belt Conference)

LOCATION

Trustmark Arena (Montevallo, Alabama)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Montevallo senior Malik Fields scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds to lead the Falcons to a 85-77 win over visiting Georgia College in a Peach Belt Conference contest.

The Falcons raced out to a 23-7 lead in the first 12 minutes of the game following a three-point play by junior Talan Whitaker with 8:37 remaining in the opening half, which gave Montevallo its largest lead in the contest.

Georgia College responded with a 18-9 run to trim the Falcons' lead to 32-25 following a free throw by Rio McMillian with 34 seconds left in the first half.

Montevallo carried a 34-25 lead into the locker room at halftime following a layup by senior Bryant Orange at the buzzer to close the first half.

The Bobcats opened the second half with a 14-4 run, capped with a layup by Terrell Harris, to take their first lead in the contest at 39-38 with 15:35 remaining in the game. Harris made a layup with 14:19 left in the game to give Georgia College a 44-42 advantage, marking the Bobcats' largest lead in the game.

Montevallo responded with a 11-2 run, capped with a layup by Fields with 9:56 remaining in the contest, to take a 53-46 lead midway through the second half. A layup by Orange with 7:25 remaining in the game pushed the Falcons' lead back to double digits at 60-50.

The Falcons led by as many as 12 points down the stretch following a pair of free throws by junior Logan Kelley with 2:21 remaining in the game, which gave Montevallo a 76-64 advantage. A furious 13-5 run by the Bobcats trimmed the Falcons' lead to 81-77 following a layup by Dwight Anderson with 36 seconds left in the contest.

Junior Kevin Kelly and sophomore Vaughn Autry each knocked down a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the Falcons' victory.

STAT OF THE GAME

The Falcons made a season-high 29 free throws while shooting 82.9 percent (29-of-35) at the charity stripe in the victory over the Bobcats. Montevallo entered the contest shooting just 63.6 percent from the free-throw line on the season.

BEYOND THE NUMBERS

Senior Malik Fields registered the first double-double of his career with a game-high 28 points and a game-high 12 rebounds in the victory over Georgia College. Fields set a new career-high with nine made field goals and 10 made free throws as he went 9-of-11 from the floor and 10-of-12 at the charity stripe.

Montevallo featured five players with more than five rebounds in the same contest for the first time this season. Fields led the way with 12 boards, while senior Bryant Orange grabbed nine rebounds and junior Talan Whitaker finished with eight boards.

UP NEXT

The Falcons will travel to Dahlonega, Georgia to face the University of North Georgia in a Peach Belt Conference contest Wednesday, Jan. 27. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern/6:30 p.m. Central.