GAME INFORMATION
 
Score: Montevallo 49, Auburn-Montgomery 46
Records: Montevallo (8-4 overall, 4-1 in GSC) | Auburn-Montgomery (0-12 overall, 0-5 in GSC)
Location: AUM Gymnasium (Montgomery, Alabama)
Date:  January 3, 2019
Montevallo Starters: Paige Ward (G), Nautika Philpot (G), Kiya Sain (G), Kourtnie Smith (F), Aaliyah Rice (F)
Auburn-Montgomery Starters: Makaylla Bullard (G), Jordan Brewster (G), Aaliyah Milord (G), Evelina Avleeva (F), Victoria Morales (F)

GAME NOTES

• The Falcons owned a slim 40-39 rebounding advantage, but Montevallo dominated on the boards offensively with a 15-9 edge.
• Auburn-Montgomery, which entered the game shooting just 58 percent from the free-throw line, shot a season-high 81.3 percent at the charity stripe before missing its final two attempts at the line.
• Montevallo opened the contest with a 14-2 run, capped with a layup by sophomore Kourtnie Smith with 3:10 remaining in the first period before Auburn-Montgomery ended the quarter with a 6-0 run of its own.
• The Falcons took their largest lead in the opening half following a layup by junior Aaliyah Rice with 7:25 remaining in the second period, which gave Montevallo a 23-12 lead, before settling for a 27-19 advantage at halftime.
• Auburn-Montgomery managed to trim the deficit to 37-36 by the end of the third quarter after ending the period with a 5-2 run.
• The Warhawks took the lead early in the fourth quarter on a layup by Victoria Morales with 8:50 left in the game and led by as many as five points on a jumper by Morales with 5:38 remaining before Montevallo closed the game with a 10-5 run and took the lead for good on a layup by sophomore Nautika Philpot with 20 seconds remaining in the contest.
• Junior Aaliyah Rice scored a team-high 12 points and grabbed a team-best nine rebounds for the Falcons.
• Sophomore Nautika Philpot added nine points, while sophomore Kiya Sain dished out a team-high four assists.

TEAM LEADERS
 
MONTEVALLO
 
Points: Aaliyah Rice (12)
Rebounds: Aaliyah Rice (9)
Assists: Kiya Sain (4)
AUBURN-MONTGOMERY

Points: Jordan Brewster (15)
Rebounds: Evelina Avleeva (13)
Assists: Makaylla Bullard (3)
 
RECAP
 
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The University of Montevallo women's basketball team came from behind to defeat in-state rival Auburn-Montgomery 49-46 in a Gulf South Conference contest Jan. 3 at AUM Gymnasium.
The Falcons (8-4 overall, 4-1 in Gulf South Conference) owned a slim 40-39 rebounding advantage, but Montevallo dominated on the boards offensively with a 15-9 edge.
Auburn-Montgomery, which entered the game shooting just 58 percent from the free-throw line, shot a season-high 81.3 percent at the charity stripe before missing its final two attempts at the line.
Montevallo opened the contest with a 14-2 run, capped with a layup by sophomore Kourtnie Smith with 3:10 remaining in the first period before Auburn-Montgomery ended the quarter with a 6-0 run of its own.
The Falcons took their largest lead in the opening half following a layup by junior Aaliyah Rice with 7:25 remaining in the second period, which gave Montevallo a 23-12 lead, before settling for a 27-19 advantage at halftime.
Auburn-Montgomery managed to trim the deficit to 37-36 by the end of the third quarter after ending the period with a 5-2 run.
The Warhawks took the lead early in the fourth quarter on a layup by Victoria Morales with 8:50 left in the game and led by as many as five points on a jumper by Morales with 5:38 remaining before Montevallo closed the game with a 10-5 run and took the lead for good on a layup by sophomore Nautika Philpot with 20 seconds remaining in the contest.
Junior Aaliyah Rice scored a team-high 12 points and grabbed a team-best nine rebounds for the Falcons.
Sophomore Nautika Philpot added nine points, while sophomore Kiya Sain dished out a team-high four assists.
Montevallo will continue Gulf South Conference play Saturday, January 5 with a trip to Pensacola, Florida to take on the University of West Florida. Tip off is set for 2 p.m.