RECORDS

Montevallo (11-4 overall, 5-3 in Peach Belt Conference)

USC Aiken (11-4 overall, 5-3 in Peach Belt Conference)

LOCATION

USC Aiken Convocation Center (Aiken, South Carolina)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Montevallo nearly pulled off an unbelievable comeback after overcoming an 18-point deficit in the second half before falling 83-78 on the road at USC Aiken in a Peach Belt Conference contest.

Junior Jamaar Taylor led off the game with a jumper 35 seconds into the contest to give the Falcons an early 2-0 lead, but it turned out to be the only lead in the game for Montevallo.

The Pacers answered back with a 16-4 run and took its first double-digit lead in the game on a 3-pointer by Jalin Barnes with 12:59 remaining in the first half, which gave USC Aiken a 16-6 advantage.

USC Aiken led by as many as 15 points in the opening half, the last time on a jumper by Austin Grimes with 3:44 left in the half to give the Pacers a 29-14 lead.

The Falcons managed to trim the deficit to 31-25 with 37 seconds remaining in the first half when senior Tazz Marbury knocked down a pair of free throws. Barnes drained a jumper with 10 seconds left in the half to give USC Aiken a 33-25 advantage heading into the locker room at halftime.

The Pacers opened the second half with a 16-6 run and took their largest lead in the game on a 3-pointer by Barnes, which gave USC Aiken a 49-31 advantage with 14:41 remaining in the contest.

Montevallo responded with an impressive 18-9 run and trimmed the deficit to single digits following a three-point play by sophomore Tony Bagtas with 9:56 remaining in the game, which trimmed the USC Aiken lead to 58-49.

The Falcons kept fighting their way back into the game and eventually tied the score at 70-70 when freshman Josh Brownfield tipped in a missed jumper by Bagtas on an offensive rebound with 3:22 left in the contest.

The two teams traded baskets over the next minute, with a jumper by senior Kevin Kelly tying the game again at 72-72 with 2:39 remaining in the contest. Following 3-of-4 free throws by Robert Hill, Brownfield attempted a game-tying 3-pointer from the corner that was just off the mark.

Henry Bolton knocked down a pair of free throws at the other end with 1:27 remaining to give USC Aiken a 77-72 lead and make it a two-possession game for the Pacers. The Pacers knocked down 8-of-10 attempts at the charity stripe in the final 1:27, just enough to hold off a late rally by the Falcons.

STAT OF THE GAME

Senior Kevin Kelly scored a career-high 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and a perfect 10-of-10 performance at the free-throw line.

UP NEXT

The Falcons will return home to take on Young Harris College in a Peach Belt Conference contest Wednesday, January 18 at Trustmark Arena. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.