MONTEVALLO, Ala. - After suffering a pair of losses before the holiday break, the Montevallo men's basketball team needed something to help put the ending to 2021 in the rearview. They got it Sunday afternoon in the form of an 81-56 thumping of Shorter University. With the win, the Falcons improved to 6-8 and 4-2 in the Gulf South Conference, while Shorter fell to 3-8 and 0-6.

Mason Shifflett led the scoring parade with 18 points. He was 6-for-13 from the field, with three 3-pointers. He was also 3-for-3 from the freethrow line. Xavier Malcom and Braxton Bertolette also got in on the assault from beyond the arc, burying four three pointers apiece. Malcom finished the game with 16 points, while Bertolette added 15. Travarus Carroll had a solid overall game in his first start of the season. He scored 12 points, dropped eight assists and grabbed five rebounds.

Mark Wilcox, Jr. led Shorter with 16 points, while Jaden Dunham contributed 14.

For the game, the Falcons knocked down 15-of-35 shots from downtown. The lethal accuracy from deep helped UM build a huge lead. The Falcons also maximized on their opportunities off of miscues by the Hawks. UM scored 25 points off of Shorter turnovers. Meanwhile, the Hawks had zero points on the Falcons three turnovers.

The Falcons led by as much as 24 points in the first half, and took a 45-23 lead into the lockerroom at halftime. The Hawks never mounted a serious threat in the second half. They would come no closer than 17 points.

Next Up: The Falcons will host Alabama-Huntsville on Thursday, Jan. 6 at Trustmark Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30.