MONTEVALLO, Ala - Aaliyah Rice had a monster game and Kiya Sain made a driving layup with 47 seconds left in the game to put Montevallo ahead for good and propel the Falcons to a 71-65 win over Alabama-Huntsville in a clash of regionally ranked teams.  

The win raises the Falcons record to 18-9, 12-7 in the Gulf South Conference and puts the Falcons in a tie for 4^th place with the Chargers.   "Now that we have 18 wins, we need number 19," said Coach Van Atta, "I told the seniors that's why you came here.  We have a vision and the seniors have put this team on their shoulders.  We can continue to build on this season, there's so much more to do."  The 18 wins marks the most in NCAA program history since Montevallo became a full member in 1997-1998.
 
Rice finished the game with 27 points on 10-16 shooting from the field, 2-2 from three point range and 5-6 from the foul line.  "Aaliyah came up huge, she stepped up in front of the big crowd and showed a lot of character." Coach Van Atta added.  
 
With Montevallo down 65-64, Coach Van Atta called a timeout and the plan was getting the ball to Sain on the wing and let her create her own shot.   The drive to the basket resulted in a layup and Sain was fouled on the play.   She knocked down the free throw and added four more free throws in the final seconds.   Sain finished 13-13 from the foul line and scored 17 points.   Shyan Flack recorded her 10^th double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The key stat in the game came at the free throw line as the Falcons were 21-24 (87.5%) compared to the Chargers 8-14 (57%).    Montevallo avenged an earlier defeat this month when Alabama-Huntsville won on their home floor 73-68.

 NEXT UP:   The Falcons travel to Delta State on Saturday to play the 3^rd place Statesmen.  Game time is 2 p.m.   Montevallo is still vying for a home playoff game when the GSC tourney starts on Tuesday, March 3 with quarterfinal games on the top seeds campus.