MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo women's basketball is set to host Shorter and Lee in the first Gulf South Conference (GSC) matchups in Montevallo during the 2023 season.
So Far This Season…
The Falcons boast a 4-1 record in the early going of the 2023 campaign with Montevallo's lone loss coming in the season opener against Embry-Riddle on Nov. 10. Head Coach
Olivia Chapman's squad responded with a 77-69 victory on the road against Nova Southeastern. Montevallo returned home for a non-conference matchup with Birmingham-Southern on Nov. 14 which resulted in a 67-40 Falcon victory. The Falcons began conference action with an 11-point road win over in-state rival Alabama Huntsville on Nov. 25 before posting a 70-56 win over West Alabama on Nov. 27. After the first weekend of conference play, the Falcons are one of five unbeaten squads with the league's third-highest winning percentage at .800.
Scouting Shorter: WATCH | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES
Shorter has struggled to start the season, posting a 1-5 record in the Lady Hawks first six games. During the GSC/SSC Crossover Classic, Shorter fell to Lynn, 78-60, to open the season before dropping a game to Barry, 87-59, on Nov. 11. The Lady Hawks picked up the first win of 2023 with a 68-65 win over Oakwood before falling to Georgia College in the final game before the conference slate began. After the first weekend of GSC action, Shorter fell to West Florida on Nov. 25 before dropping a game with Valdosta State, 81-52, in its most recent matchup. Shorter's scoring is highlighted by a 13.7 point per game average from junior Tiara Lewis who also leads the team with a 7.5 rebound per game mark.
Series History Against Shorter:
Montevallo holds a 20-3 record against Shorter since the two teams first met in 1988. The all-time series began with nine-consecutive Falcon victories from 1988 to 2007. Shorter found its first win over Montevallo during the 2008 season with the Lady Hawks going 3-1 in the following four meetings with Shorter's most recent win coming on Jan. 9, 2018 by a score of 95-60. Since the loss in 2018, Montevallo has rattled off eight-consecutive victories with the most recent coming on Feb. 2, 2023 with a 90-46 Falcon win at home.
Scouting Lee: WATCH | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES
The Lady Flames opened the 2023 campaign with a loss to No. 5 Tampa on Nov. 10 before falling to Florida Southern on Nov. 11. Lee picked up its first win against future conference opponent Trevecca Nazarene on Nov. 18 by a score of 66-63 in Cleveland, Tenn. To open GSC play, Lee topped Valdosta State 59-53 on Nov. 25 before adding a 66-62 win over West Florida in its most recent outing. The Lady Flames offense is led by senior guard Mallory Hampton who scores an average of 18.8 points per game. Lee has struggled a bit on the glass with the team's leading rebounder Addison Smith grabbing just 3.4 boards per game.
Series History Against Lee:
The Lady Flames hold a slight edge over the Falcons in the all-time results with an 8-6 record in the series. Since the Falcons rejoined the GSC in 2017-18, Montevallo has won four contests while dropping six in that span. Lee has topped the Falcons in each of the last three meetings with Montevallo's most recent victory coming on Feb. 20, 2021 with a 74-60 score. In the most recent matchup, Lee walked away with a 78-47 win in Montevallo.
Player Highlights:
Montevallo's scoring is led by two-time GSC Freshman of the Week
Cali Smallwood who averages 15.4 points per game with
Marisa Snodgrass (11.6),
Isabel Grimes (11.4), and A.K. Eastman (10.0) all eclipsing the 10 points per game mark. On the glass, the Falcons are led by freshman forward
Ramie Reid who totals 6.2 rebounds per game with Smallwood just behind at 5.8 boards per contest.
Marisa Snodgrass is tied at the top of the league with a 5.2 assist per game mark while ranking inside the GSC's top ten with a 2.4 steals per game average. Smallwood is the league's leading three-point shooter with a .485 shooting percentage from behind the arc with an average of 3.2 threes per game (second).
