MONTEVALLO, Ala. — Montevallo, again, showed why it is one of the top defensive teams in the Gulf South Conference by holding the conference's leading offense to 20 points below its average, but Valdosta State scored just enough to earn the win as the Falcons fell 68-62.
With 1:22 remaining in the second half, Montevallo (11-9, 7-5) trailed 62-60 following an
Ivan Smith jumper to cut the Falcons' deficit. However, following a timeout, Valdosta State (16-3, 10-2) knocked down its own jump shot with 51 seconds left to extend its lead back to a two-possession game at 64-60.
Smith converted two free throw opportunities to make it 64-62 with 46 seconds to play, but Darrell Jones, who sank the jumper just 30 seconds prior, hit two free throws to push the Blazer lead back to four with 28 seconds until the final horn.
Out of a timeout,
Cedric Jackson was unable to convert a layup opportunity, then
Wade Lowman's put-back attempt rimmed out and out of bounds off the hands of a Falcon player.
Following a missed one-and-one opportunity for Valdosta State, Jackson missed a 3-point shot from the left wing with 10 seconds left, which ultimately led to two more free throws for Valdosta State to widen the final margin to six after
Xavier Malcom missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Malcom, Jackson and T.J. Martin had all knocked down two 3-point shots, respectively, throughout the game as Malcom and Jackson both finished with 11 points each. However, it was
Wade Lowman who finished as the team's leading scorer with 12 points to go along with 12 rebounds.
Jonas Parker also had double-digit rebounds as the junior had 10 boards and three points.
Despite the final outcome, Montevallo held Valdosta State to its lowest offensive point total since Albany State held the Blazers to 64 points on Nov. 14, 2019. Since then, Valdosta State had score 70-or-more points in 13 of its next 14 games with the only exception being 69 points at West Alabama on Jan. 4.
Montevallo will look to re-write its fortunes when the Falcons travel to Cleveland, Tenn., to face Lee University on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. The two teams met up back on Jan. 16 in Montevallo with the Flames earning a 69-64 win.
