PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Montevallo women's basketball team's comeback effort fell short on the road against West Florida, 70-63, on Saturday, Feb. 18. 
 
 
In the first four minutes of the game, Senior forward Shyan Flack knocked down a pair of quick threes for an early seven points. Following a another three from Savannah Cook, the Falcons led the Argos, 14-6, at the 5:46 mark. With an 10-2 run spearheaded by three-consecutive threes, Montevallo's advantage moved to 25-10. West Florida closed the opening quarter with an 8-0 run to cut UM's lead to seven. 
 
The second quarter saw the Falcons' offense take a dip as a 7-3 run from West Florida cut the lead down to 28-25. A pair of free throws from Marisa Snodgrass stretched the lead back to five. An offensive board from the Argos led to a kick out three and UWF's first lead since the early going, 32-31. Snodgrass kept the Falcons within striking distance with 10 first-half points on 3-of-4 from the field and 2-for-3 from deep as Montevallo trailed, 39-34, heading into the half.
 
Early Falcon fouls in the third quarter lead to a 10-points Argo advantage, 46-36. Another Flack three and a trio of free throws from the Falcons trimmed the lead back to four at 46-42 but, late fouls and turnovers from Montevallo lead to a 57-45 deficit after the third. 
 
Montevallo opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run capped off by a turnaround hook shot from Katie Moore to slice the lead to just five. UWF answered with a 6-0 run to take an 11-point lead at the fourth-quarter media. Anna Katherine Eastman's corner three polished off a second 7-0 run from Montevallo to make it just a two-possession game, 63-59, with 2:23 left. McCarley Northway's bucket with a minute to go brought the difference to just three, 66-63. The Argos took the game, 70-63, after late free throws.

Despite the loss, Montevallo women's basketball clinched a spot in the Gulf South Conference Tournament for the fourth-consecutive season with some outside help from around the league. 

"I'm really proud of this team being preseason ninth pick and qualifying for GSC tournament again," said head coach Gary Van Atta. "They are one win away from finishing 5th in league standings. Super proud for this inexperienced team that returned only two starters from last season."
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 63 | West Florida 70
Records: Montevallo 11-16 (11-12 GSC) | West Florida 19-6 (18-4 GSC)
Location: UWF Field House | Pensacola, Fla. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
1^st | The Falcons jumped out to an early 7-point lead after one with an impressive 6-of-11 from deep and a pair of threes from Flack. The Falcons lead 25-18 after the first.
2^nd | West Florida regained control of the game after Montevallo cooled from deep shooting just 12.5 percent from range in the quarter. UM trailed, 39-34, at the half.
3^rd | Montevallo's early fouls lead to a quick 10-point deficit for Montevallo and late fouls left UWF with a 57-45 lead. 
4^th | UM battled back with a pair of 7-0 runs in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to just three with a minute left but free throws down the stretched sealed the game for West Florida, 70-63.
 
GAME NOTES 

• Flack entered the game just 1-of-9 from three-point range and finished with 12 points on 3-of-5 from deep. 
• Marisa Snodgrass also scored a dozen points, shooting 3-of-7 from the field, with a remarkable seven assists to zero turnovers. 
• Northway and Eastman also scored double-digit points with 11 from Northway and 10 from Eastman. 
• Montevallo was outrebounded 47-31 throughout the game. 
• West Florida capitalized on turnovers with 21 points off the Falcons' 15 giveaways. Meanwhile, Montevallo couldn't cash in those turnover chances with just nine points on the Argos' 14 turnovers. 

 
UP NEXT: The Falcons will close the regular season with one final road trip to take on Auburn Montgomery on Feb. 25 at 2 p.m.