MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo women's basketball is set to travel to the gulf coast to take on West Florida at 2 p.m. on Jan. 6 with a trip to Valdosta State on Jan. 8.
 
The Falcons enter the weekend as the fifth-ranked team in the Gulf South Conference with an 8-4 overall record and a 6-3 mark against league opposition. Montevallo has yet to face off with either of its upcoming opponents during the 2023-24 season. The Falcons enter Saturday's contest off a 16-point win over Christian Brothers to kick off the 2024 calendar year.
 
So Far This Season…
Montevallo opened the season with a pair of contests against Nova Southeastern and Embry-Riddle in the Gulf South-Sunshine State Crossover Classic. The Falcons came out of south Florida with a 1-1 record after defeating Nova Southeastern and falling to Embry-Riddle. Montevallo' home opener came in the form of a 67-40 win over Birmingham-Southern before kicking off GSC action on the road. In a pair of contests against in-state rivals, head coach Olivia Chapman's squad defeated Alabama-Huntsville on Nov. 25 before taking down West Alabama on Nov. 27. The Falcons returned home for a 66-57 win over Shorter before suffering the second loss of the season at the hands of Lee on Dec. 3. Montevallo bounced back with a pair of wins over Mississippi College and Delta State on the road. For the first time this season, Montevallo suffered back-to-back losses with West Georgia and then No. 8 Union taking victories in Montevallo, Ala. In the most recent outing, the Falcons moved to 6-3 in conference play with a 59-43 win over Christian Brothers on Jan. 2.
 
Montevallo's offense ranks 1st in the league with an average of 12.7 turnovers per game while recording the second most steals of any GSC squad with 9.2.
 
The Falcons convert at the free throw line with a league-high 76.2 percent from the stripe while opponents shoot a league-low 61.4 percent from the line.
 
Montevallo ranks fifth in the GSC in scoring with a 68.9-point average while holding opponents to a 63.9 point per game mark for a sixth-place scoring margin of 5.0.
 
Scouting West Florida: WATCH | LIVE STATS
West Florida comes into the weekend with an 8-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark in league play. To begin the season, the Argos fell to Palm Beach Atlantic before defeating then No. 9 Eckerd during the GSC-SSC Crossover. West Florida took back-to-back matchups against Spring Hill before beginning GSC play with an 82-66 win over Shorter on Nov. 25. The Argos suffered its first GSC loss against Lee on Nov. 27 before defeating Mississippi College, Delta State and West Georgia in consecutive home games. West Florida gave up a season-high 100 points in a loss to then No. 4 Union before bouncing back with a win over Christian Brothers on Dec. 17. To begin the new year, West Florida fell to No. 23 Valdosta State, 75-67, on Jan. 2.
 
West Florida is the third-highest scoring team in the league with an average of 72.6 points per game while allowing its opponents to score 63.9 points per game (sixth). UWF leads the conference with an average of 43.0 rebounds per game with a 12.6 offensive rebound per game mark and a 30.4 defensive rebound average. The Argos defense is at the top of the league allowing opponents to shoot just 36 percent from the floor while allowing its opponents to shoot just 26.8 percent from behind the arc.
 
West Florida boasts a pair of double-digit scorers with graduate Brooke Kane leading the team with 15.3 points per game while Tyashia Bostick averages 13.5 points per game. Kane also leads the squad with a 5.8 rebound per game mark while shooting 45.7 percent from the field.
 
Series History Against West Florida:
West Florida holds the all-time lead over Montevallo with a 37-23 record since the series began in 1982. The two sides have met at least once per season since 1982 except for the stretch when the Falcons were a member of the Peach Belt Conference. Since the Falcons rejoined the GSC, Montevallo is 6-8 against the Argos with a stretch of six-consecutive wins from 2019 to 2021. In each of the last two seasons, West Florida has taken both matchups with the Falcons falling, 70-63, on Feb. 18, 2023.  
 
Scouting Valdosta State: WATCH | LIVE STATS
Valdosta State enters the weekend with a No. 23 ranking and a 10-2 overall record and a 7-1 record in conference play. The Lady Blazers began the season with a loss to No. 9 Eckerd before defeating Palm Beach Atlantic in early November. VSU returned to Georgia for a pair of wins against Brewton Parker and Clayton State before beginning the conference season with a 59-53 loss to Lee on the road. Valdosta State kicked off a seven-game winning streak with a win over Shorter on Nov. 27. The Lady Blazers grabbed a pair of home victories against Delta State and Mississippi College on Dec. 1 and Dec. 3, respectively. In a three-game road stretch, VSU defeated West Georgia and Christian Brothers before handing Union its only loss of the season so far. In its most recent matchup, Valdosta State defeated West Florida, 75-67, on Jan. 2.
 
Valdosta State's offense ranks fourth in the GSC with a 71.6 points per game average while holding its opponents to just 59.8 points per game (second). The Lady Blazers' 11.8-point scoring margin also ranks second among conference leaders. Valdosta State is the league's leader in shooting with a 47.3 percent mark from the floor while holding its opponents to 38.1 percent from the field.
 
Individually, Valdosta State's offense is led by junior guard Kalifa Ford who averages 15.9 points per game on a 56.3 percent shooting mark which ranks second in the conference. Taylor Searcey is the only other Lady Blazer to average double-digit scoring with a 10.1-point per game average. Senior guard Emma Martin is the league's leader in three-point shooting with a 44.4 percent mark from beyond the arc.
 
Series History Against Valdosta State:
Valdosta State holds a 31-9 record against Montevallo in the series that spans back to 1996. Since the Falcons rejoined the GSC in the 2016-17 season, Montevallo is 2-12 against the Lady Blazers. In each of the last two seasons, Valdosta State has taken both of the regular season contests with the Falcons falling to VSU in the first round of the 2023 GSC Tournament in the most recent matchup.
 
Player Highlights:
Sophomore guard Isabel Grimes is the team's highest scoring Falcon with a 12.3 point per game average with the squad's highest number of free throws made with 61. Freshman Cali Smallwood is second on the team with 11.5 points per game while also leading the team with an average of 7.0 rebounds per game. Veteran guard Marisa Snodgrass is the third and final Falcon to average more than 10 points per game with an average of 11.0 points per game. Snodgrass is one of the top guards in the conference with a 4.7 assist per game average (fourth), an assist to turnover ratio of 2.8 (first) and a 3.3 steals per game mark (first).