MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo women's basketball is set to host No. 8 Union in the final game of the 2023 calendar year before welcoming Christian Brothers on Jan. 2. 
 
The Falcons return from the break following a loss in Montevallo, Ala. on Friday, Dec. 15 in the team's last outing against West Georgia. Head Coach Olivia Chapman's squad has yet to drop two contests consecutively during the 2023 campaign and will look to improve on its 7-3 overall record. 
 
So Far This Season…
The Falcons opened the season with a trip to south Florida to play in the Gulf South-Sunshine State Crossover Classic hosted by Nova Southeastern in early November. Montevallo fell in its opening game to Embry-Riddle but rebounded with a 77-69 victory over host Nova Southeastern. UM quickly moved into league play following a 27-point win over Birmingham- Southern. On the road, Montevallo started the conference schedule with a pair of wins over Alabama Huntsville and West Alabama on Nov. 25 and Nov. 27, respectively. Montevallo grabbed its fifth win in a row with a 66-57 win over Shorter. The Falcons winning streak came to an end with a four-point loss to Lee on Dec. 3. UM picked up a pair of wins in Mississippi with back-to-back wins over Mississippi College and Delta State. In its most recent outing, Montevallo fell to West Georgia, 75-62, on Dec. 15. 
 
The Falcons return to action with the fifth-ranked offense in the league with a scoring average of 69.5 points per game while holding opponents to a 64.5 ppg clip (seventh). 
 
Montevallo has capitalized on its trips to the free throw line to lead the league with a 77.3 shooting mark as a team while its opponents are shooting a league worst 62.2 percent from the stripe. 
 
UM also takes care of the ball with a league-low 11.4 turnovers per game while dishing out 12.9 assists per game for a league-leading 1.13 assist to turnover ratio. The Falcons also forced turnovers with the second-most steals of any league squad with an 8.50 per game average. 
 
Scouting Union: WATCH | LIVE STATS
No. 8 Union enters Sunday's matchup with an 11-1 record overall and a 5-1 mark in league play. The Bulldogs opened the season with an 87-78 win over Lubbock Christian before topping Colorado State Pueblo in early November. Union then took a pair of blowout wins down in Puerto Rico on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11. The Bulldogs closed the non-conference schedule with a 109-86 road win over Trevecca Nazarene before taking a road trip to Mississippi for back-to-back victories over Mississippi College and Delta State. Union's home opener came with a 107-35 win over Christian Brothers followed by a 40-point win over West Florida on Dec. 15. Union's first loss of the season came at the hands Valdosta State on Dec. 17. In its most recent outing, Union defeated Tennessee Southern, 109-55, on Dec. 28. 
 
Union sits third in the conference with a 5-1 record against league opponents while leading the league in scoring with a 98.9 point per game average. The Bulldogs' 33.2-point scoring margin is also tops in the GSC while its defense allows 65.8 points per game (eighth). UU's high-powered offense is efficient with a 47.7 percent shooting mark while allowing its opponents to shoot 41.9 percent from the floor. 
 
Union's defense forcing mistakes from its opponents to record a league-high 195 steals for a 16.25 steal per game average. The Falcons rank second with 85 steals on the season. The Bulldogs' defense is also responsible for the highest turnover margin in the league with a 13.67 mark. 
 
Union's offense is led by 13.5 points per game from junior Macey Lee on a 48.3 percent shooting mark while three other Bulldogs each average double-digit scoring numbers. Shanique Lewis spearheads the Bulldog defense with a league leading 35 steals while adding an average of 12.3 points per game. Junior guard Jazalyn Anousinh's 68 assists lead both the team and the conference for a 5.7 dime per game mark. 
 
Series History vs. Union
The Falcons and Bulldogs have met on the hardwood 17 times in the history of the series, going back to Nov. 28, 1982. Union holds the advantage over the Falcons with a 15-2 record all-time against Montevallo. The Falcons took back-to-back matchups in 1989 and 1992 before Union kicked off a 14-game winning streak over Montevallo. The two sides faced off twice during the 2020-21 post season with Union sneaking away with a victory in the GSC Tournament before taking a five-point victory in the NCAA Tournament. In the most recent meeting, Montevallo fell to Union, 81-60, on Feb. 11, 2023. 
 
Scouting Christian Brothers: WATCH | LIVE STATS
Christian Brothers currently holds a 1-9 record overall with a 1-5 mark in the GSC. The Lady Bucs season began with a pair of losses to Barry and Lynn during the GSC-SSC Crossover Classic in early November. CBU dropped contests to Harding and Southern Arkansas in the final two non-conference matchups in November. The Lady Bucs opened the conference slate with a trip to the Magnolia State which resulted in losses to Delta State and Mississippi College before CBU grabbed its first win of the 2023 campaign with a 61-50 win over West Georgia on Nov. 30. CBU then went on a three-game skid with losses to then No. 4 Union, Valdosta State, and West Florida in its most recent outing. 
 
CBU ranks in the bottom half of the league in scoring with a 53.8 point per game mark while allowing opponents to score 78.8 points per contest.
 
Christian Brothers is led by junior forward Jeremia Montgomery with one of the league's highest scoring marks at 15.1 points per game (fifth). Montgomery is also the Lady Bucs' top rebounder with a 7.5 per game mark, which also ranks fifth among conference leaders, while also leading the team with 22 assists. 
 
Series History vs. Christian Brothers:
The Falcons hold an 11-5 record over the Lady Bucs since the series began on Nov. 23, 1997. Montevallo opened the series with a 89-75 win before going on a four-game win streak over CBU from 1998 to 2006. Since Montevallo rejoined the GSC during the 2017-18 season, Montevallo is 6-3 against Christian Brothers. The Falcons are currently on the second four-game win streak over CBU, sweeping both series in the last two seasons. A season ago, Montevallo took a 74-70 win on the road before taking an 81-64 victory in the most recent meeting on Feb. 9, 2023. 
 
Player Highlights: 
Montevallo boasts four double-digit scorers with graduate guard Marisa Snodgrass leading the team with 12.2 points per game followed by Isabel Grimes (11.7), Cali Smallwood (11.5), and Ramie Reid (10.2). The Falcons' top three scorers in Snodgrass, Grimes and Smallwood each rank in the conference's top-15 scorers. Smallwood is the squad's top rebounder at 6.0 boards per game with Reid and Leisha Steger averaging 5.0 rebounds per game. 
 
Snodgrass is one of the GSC's top guards with a total of 49 assists for the season which ranks second among league leaders with a 4.9 assist per game average. Snodgrass also ranks second in the conference with 34 total steals for a league-high average of 3.4 per contest. She is also the GSC's leader in minutes per game with an average of 36.2 minutes on the floor.