FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Montevallo women's basketball fell in the 2023 season opener to Embry-Riddle on the first day of the GSC-SSC Crossover Classic.
 
Montevallo freshman Cali Smallwood led the Falcons offense in the first quarter, scoring UM's first eight points of the game before A.K. Eastman cut the Embry-Riddle lead to 13-10 with 2:54 to go in the first. Smallwood and Eastman would go on to score the final eight first quarter points for Montevallo to take an 18-18 tie into the first quarter break. Smallwood would finish the first ten minutes with a game-high 14 points on 4-of-6 from three-point range.
 
Smallwood continued her breakout start with the first three points of the second quarter before Embry-Riddle went on a 17-0 run to take a 35-21 lead with six minutes left in the half. The Falcons looked to trim the lead down but Montevallo struggled to keep ERAU off the free throw line while the Eagles shot 7-of-9 from deep in the quarter to take a 48-33 lead into the locker room.
 
The third quarter was a back-and-forth battle between both sides with each team shooting better than 40-percent from the floor. Eastman led the Falcons on a 6-0 run with trim the Eagles lead down to 11 at the 4:44 mark with either a bucket or an assist on all six points. With the Falcons heading to the free throw line for the rest of the third quarter points, ERAU was able to stretch its lead to 71-54 heading into the final stanza.
 
The final ten minutes saw a double-digit scoring effort from Isabel Grimes as the Falcons looked to battle back. Grimes found a pair of threes with a perfect 4-for-4 from the line to cut the lead down to 14 with less than three minutes to go. Five-straight points from Snodgrass trimmed the ERAU down to 12 with 1:10 remaining. The Falcons couldn't make up the difference, taking an 88-74 loss in the first game of the regular season.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 74 | Embry-Riddle 88
Records: Montevallo 0-1 | ERAU 1-0
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
1^ST | Montevallo's Smallwood exploded for 14 first-quarter points on an impressive 4-for-6 from deep to start the game. Eastman's added four points left Montevallo with an 18-18 tie after the first quarter.
2^ND | Embry-Riddle's offense caught fire, shooting 66 percent from the field with a 7-for-9 mark from three-point range to open a 15-point lead at the half.
3^RD | The Falcons defense found its rhythm in the third quarter while A.K. Eastman shot a perfect 2-for-2 from the field with a 3-for-3 mark from the stripe.
4^TH | Grimes offense stepped up in the fourth quarter with the sophomore scoring 10 of the Falcons' 20 fourth-quarter points.
 
GAME NOTES

• Montevallo saw three different Falcons eclipse double-digit points in Smallwood (18), Eastman (14) and Grimes (13) while freshman Ramie Reid led all rebounders with nine.
• The game saw just four lead changes with ERAU holding the lead for more than 36 minutes of the contest.
• The Falcons shot 35 percent from the floor with a 34.6 percent mark from deep and a 21-for-28 line at the charity stripe while ERAU shot 51 percent for the game with a 52 percent mark from range.
• Montevallo won the turnover battle 12-14 while being slightly outrebounded with a 36-31 mark in favor of the Eagles.

 
UP NEXT: Montevallo is set to stay in south Florida for a matchup with host Nova Southeastern on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. CT.