MONTEVALLO, Ala. - In the 25 years that the University of Montevallo women's basketball program has been a member of NCAA Division II, they have never hosted or won a playoff game on their home floor.  That all changed on Tuesday night as the Falcons beat the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers 69-60 for a quarterfinal win in the GSC Tournament.  
 
"It just means everything to come out here and get this win," said head coach Gary Van Atta.  "Post season play is about the next game in front of you and we stepped up tonight to meet the challenge."
 
Montevallo played tough defense throughout the game as they forced the Chargers into 18 turnovers while recording 12 steals.   Senior Kourtnie Smith led the Falcons with four steals in the game and Junior Jordan Jones recorded three steals.  "The saying is defense wins championships," said Coach Van Atta.  "If you cannot put the ball in the basket, you must stop your opponent.  We played great on the defensive side of the ball."
 
Offensively, the Falcons were led by sophomore Marisa Snodgrass who scored 24 points on the strength of a tremendous foul shooting effort, going 11-12 from the free throw line and making 5-12 shots from the floor.  UM finished the game making 21-23 free throws.   Jones had another solid game offensively scoring 15 points and senior Kiya Sain added 14 points.
 
For the Chargers, they were led by Alexis Woods who scored 22 points and Selena Pruitt chipped in with 12 points.  UAH finishes the season at 8-8.
 
With the win, the Falcons improve to 14-5 overall and 14-4 in the GSC.  UM will wait for the NCAA regional rankings to come out on Wednesday to see where they land as they try to gain a berth in the NCAA tournament.    

UP NEXT: The Falcons will travel to Jackson, TN on Friday night for a semifinal matchup with the Union University Bulldogs.   The winner will advance to the GSC Championship game to be played on a neutral floor on Sunday, March 7.