MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo heads to Cleveland, Tenn. on Saturday, Jan 27 for a date with the Lee Lady Flames at 1 p.m. in the second matchup between the two teams this season.
 
Montevallo's 11-7 record and 9-6 mark in Gulf South Conference action places the Falcons at No. 6 in the league standings after falling to Alabama Huntsville on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Montevallo now trails Valdosta State, Union, West Florida, Lee and Auburn Montgomery following the one-point loss.
 
So Far This Season…
Montevallo began the season with a 1-1 record after the GSC/SSC Crossover Classic with a season-opening loss to Embry-Riddle and a win over host Nova Southeastern in early November. The Falcons returned home for a home-opening win over Birmingham-Southern before heading out for a 2-0 road trip at UAH and West Alabama to open the conference slate. Montevallo took down Shorter, 66-57, in the first conference game in Montevallo, Ala. before falling to Lee, 80-76, two days later. UM returned to the road for a second 2-0 stretch away from home with wins over Delta State and Mississippi College. The Falcons dropped a pair of contests against West Georgia and Union before opening 2024 with a win over Christian Brothers. Montevallo took a 70-67 win over West Florida on Jan. 6 before taking a loss to No. 23 Valdosta State on Jan. 8. The Falcons dropped a matchup with AUM on the road before rebounding with a 74-59 win over West Alabama at home. Montevallo needed a last-second shot to take down West Georgia, 66-63, on the road. Most recently, Montevallo fell to late free throws in a 70-69 loss to UAH on Jan. 24.
 
Montevallo remains the top free-throw shooting team in the Gulf South with a 76.9 percent mark from the charity stripe. The Falcons opponents are the worst free-throw shooting teams in the GSC with a 63.5 percent mark. Montevallo continues to be one of the top ball-handling team in the conference with a 3.5 turnover margin (second) and a 1.02 turnover to assist ratio (second). Offensively, Montevallo averages 67.1 points per game which ranks fifth among GSC leaders while allowing opponents to score 65.4 per game (10^th) for a sixth-ranked 1.6 scoring margin.
 
Scouting Lee: WATCH | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES
Lee opened the 2023-24 campaign with a blowout victory over Maryville college before falling in back-to-back games against Tampa and Florida Southern. The Lady Flames returned to the win column with a three-point victory against Trevecca Nazarene before opening GSC action with a 59-53 win over Valdosta State. Lee continued its winning streak with wins over West Florida before heading to Montevallo, Ala. for a four-point win over the Falcons. Lee remained unbeaten in conference play with a trio of wins over UAH, UWA, and AUM before defeating Shorter on Dec. 17. Lee then went on a three-game skid following a win over Bethel with losses to Mississippi College, Delta State and West Georgia, all of which were on the road. The Lady Flames rebounded with a 38-point win over Christian Brothers before falling in an overtime thriller to No. 5 Union. Following a win on the road at West Florida, Lee fell to Valdosta State, 80-50, in its most recent matchup.
 
In the scoring column, Lee ranks sixth in the GSC with an average mark of 65.2 points per game while holding opponents to a 60.4-point average for a fifth-ranked 4.8 scoring margin. Defensively, Lee is one of the top teams in the conference, holding teams to a 38.3-percent mark from the field (third) and a 27.3-percent clip from deep (second).
 
Individually, Mallory Hampton leads the team and the conference with an average of 19.7 points per game on a second-best 43.8-percent field goal shooting mark. Hampton also leads the league with 106 made free throws and 125 free throw attempts through 18 games. On the glass, the Lady Flames are led by Addison Smith who pulls down an average of 4.6 rebounds per game.
 
Series History Against Lee:
The two sides met just twice before the Falcons rejoined the GSC in 2017-18. Since then, Montevallo has gone 4-9 in games against the Lady Flames with Lee leading the all-time series with a 9-6 record against Montevallo. Most recently, Montevallo fell to Lee, 80-76, in Montevallo, Ala. on Dec. 3, 2023.
 
Player Highlights:
Snodgrass remains one of the top guards in the league with an average of 4.9 assists (second) while stealing 2.8 per game (first). Isabel Grimes is one of the top free throw shooters in the league with 87 makes and 105 attempts. Both rank second in the GSC. In the stat sheet, Cali Smallwood leads the team in scoring with an 11.6 points per game average while also leading the Falcons with a mark of 6.2 rebounds per game.