Box Score MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Montevallo women's basketball team opened the season on Friday afternoon, falling to No. 16 Nova Southern 72-50 in the GSC/SSC Challenge.

Lia Edwards led the way for the Falcons and scored a total of 15 points in the contest.

NSU got on the board first, scoring two layups in the first few minutes, before Jordan Gillies scored the first Falcon points of the season, draining a jumper at 8:23. The Sharks increased the lead to 8-2, forcing an early Montevallo timeout at 7:51. The Sharks continued to find success in the paint, cashing in on a pair layups, before Ramie Reed scored a layup of her own, making the score 12-4. The Falcons began to find momentum, cutting the lead to 13-8 at 2:40, but a 6-1 NSU run would give the Sharks a 19-9 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

The Falcons started the second quarter strong, with Anna Katherine Eastman and Isabel Grimes scoring back-to-back buckets to cut the deficit to 19-13 at 8:34. Montevallo continued to push, building an 8-1 run highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from Grimes and Julia Susla. The NSU lead was trimmed down to one point, 22-21, at the 5:22 mark in the second period. NSU responded with a strong end to the half, as a 15-4 run gave the Sharks a 37-25 lead at the break.

Both teams started the second half slow, scoring two baskets each in the first five minutes, with NSU taking a 42-29 lead into the media timeout at 4:57. After both teams traded baskets, an Elisa Saffold three-point basket at 2:52 would cut the lead back to ten, 44-34. The Sharks responded with back-to-back buckets, pushing the score to 48-34 and forcing a Montevallo timeout at 1:35. Gillies would score one more basket for UM, as the Sharks took a 51-36 advantage into the final quarter.

NSU opened the fourth quarter strong with a 7-0 run to push the lead out to 58-36 with 8:01 left in the game. Carlyn Burdette drained a three-point basket at 6:09 to stop the NSU run. The Sharks carried the 58-39 lead into the final media timeout. Aubrey Sorrells drained a jumper after the timeout, but NSU would outscore Montevallo 14-9 in the final minutes to secure the 72-50 win in the season opener.

GAME INFORMATION:
Score: Montevallo 50 | Nova Southeastern 72
Records: Montevallo 0-1 | Nova Southeastern 1-0
Location: Montgomery, AL

GAME NOTES:

• Lia Edwards led the way with 15 points and shot over 50 percent from the field.
• Jordan Gillies, Aubrey Sorrells, Julia Susla, Carlyn Burdette, and Elisa Saffold all scored their first points as Falcons.
• NSU shot 55.3 percent from the field, while UM shot 41.3 percent from the field.
• The Sharks outrebounded the Falcons 33-17.