SCORE

Lander 74, Montevallo 68

RECORDS

Montevallo (3-4 overall, 0-1 in Peach Belt Conference)

Lander (6-2 overall, 1-0 in Peach Belt Conference)

LOCATION

Trustmark Arena (Montevallo, Alabama)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Montevallo pushed preseason Peach Belt Conference favorite Lander to the wire before falling 74-68 in its conference opener at Trustmark Arena.

Both the Falcons and the Bearcats shot the ball well in the first half, with Montevallo shooting at a 51.7 percent clip and Lander shooting 48.5 percent from the floor.

Lander led by as many as six points following a layup by Breshay Johnson with 1:59 remaining in the second period, which gave the Bearcats a 43-37 lead. Montevallo trimmed the deficit to 43-40 heading into the locker room at halftime following a 3-pointer by senior Haven Albright late in the second period.

Another 3-pointer by Albright with 6:44 remaining in the third period capped a 7-0 run to start the second half by the Falcons. A layup by senior RayVon Christian with 2:33 left in the period gave Montevallo a 54-47 advantage, which marked the Falcons' largest lead in the game.

Lander responded with a 20-12 run and took the lead for good on a layup by Destinee Langford with 2:20 remaining in the game. The Bearcats outscored the Falcons 18-10 in the final period as costly turnovers plagued Montevallo, which finished with a season-high 26 turnovers.

STAT OF THE GAME

Senior Morgan Smith had four 3-pointers in a 21-point performance. The 5-foot-11 forward from Cullman, Alabama filled the stat sheet with eight rebounds and four assists, as well as three steals and two blocked shots.

UP NEXT

The Falcons return to action Monday, Dec. 19 in another Peach Belt Conference contest against visiting Armstrong State University at Trustmark Arena. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m.