ROME, Ga. – A defensive stand in the final seconds propelled the Montevallo women's basketball team to its first win of the season, as the Falcons earned a 52-51 victory on the road against Shorter on Saturday.

Three Falcons scored in double figures including Aubrey Sorrells (12), Isabel Grimes (12), and Jordan Gillies (10).

Shorter opened the contest strong, jumping ahead 6-0 before Lia Edwards would earn the first point for the Falcons from the free-throw line. Anna Katherine Eastman followed that up with a steal on the next Shorter possession, which led to a Jordan Gillies and-one, cutting the SU lead to 6-4 at the 6:50 mark. Elisa Saffold found her way in the scoring column with a jumper, as the Hawks led 8-6 at the 4:19 mark. A pair of Aubrey Sorrells free throws trimmed the Hawks lead to just one point with 42 seconds left on the clock. Shorter earned a pair of free throws to close the quarter and take a 12-9 lead at the end of the first period.

The Hawks opened the second quarter with a basket, but two more free throws from Sorrells and a steal and score from Lia Edwards trimmed the SU lead back down to one, 14-13, forcing a Shorter timeout at the 8:40 mark. Montevallo finally took its first lead of the day, as a Jordan Gillies lay-in put the Falcons up 17-16 at the 6:33 mark. Montevallo extended its lead with a 6-1 run capped by a Sorrells lay-in to put the Falcons up 23-17 with 3:11 left on the clock. Both teams scored three points in last three minutes, as Montevallo took a 26-20 lead at the half.

Shorter opened the second half with the first four points, before Gillies recorded the first points for UM in the third quarter with a jumper, keeping UM ahead 28-24 at the 7:23 mark. The Hawks continued to push with a 7-0 run to take a 31-28 lead with 5:55 left on the clock. The Falcons responded with a 6-0 run capped by a Grimes jumper, to regain the lead, 34-31 at the 3:15 mark. The Hawks jumped back in front briefly, but a three-pointer by Grimes put the Falcons back in front 37-36 with 1:40 left on the clock. Grimes went on to score the last five points of the quarter for UM, as the Falcons took a 42-40 lead into the final quarter.

Carlyn Burdette earned the first field goal of the fourth quarter at 9:32, but the Hawks would go on a 6-0 run holding the Falcons scoreless nearly five minutes. Elisa Saffold finally scored the next basket for Montevallo at the 4:37 mark, as Shorter held a 47-46 lead. Saffold found Burdette a minute later for a lay-in to put the Falcons back in front 48-47 with 3:49 left on the clock. Susla followed that up with a layup of her own to put UM ahead 50-47, forcing a Shorter timeout at 3:04. The Hawks scored the next bucket at the 1:05 mark, but the Falcons responded a few seconds later with a Burdette layup to stay ahead by three points, 52-49, with one minute left in the contest. Shorter cashed in on a layup to cut the lead to one point with 55 seconds left and ultimately had the last possession with 20 seconds left in the game. The Montevallo defense held strong in the final seconds to preserve its first victory of the season.

GAME INFORMATION:
Score: Montevallo 52 | Shorter 51
Records: Montevallo 1-2 | Shorter 1-1
Location: Winthrop-King Centre | Rome, Ga.

GAME NOTES:

• The Falcons outshot the Hawks 42.9 percent to 32.2 percent.
• Three Falcons scored in double figures including Aubrey Sorrells (12), Isabel Grimes (12), and Jordan Gillies (10).
• Shorter edged Montevallo in paint points 36-34.
• The Falcons had the advantage in bench points 15-8.