MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo women's basketball heads to Tennessee for a two-game road trip to Christian Brothers and No. 7 Union this week.
 
So Far This Season…
The Falcons head to the Memphis, Tenn. area with a 12-10 overall record and a 10-9 mark in Gulf South Conference action. Montevallo's 10-9 league record sits in a tie for fifth place with West Florida and Delta State heading into the final weeks of the regular season. The Falcons began the season with a 2-1 non-conference record before opening league play with a 2-0 road trip to in-state rivals Alabama Huntsville and West Alabama before returning home for a win over Shorter on Dec. 1. The Falcons fell to Lee for the first conference loss of the season before rebounding with a 2-0 stretch against Mississippi College and Delta State in early December. Montevallo dropped back-to-back games for the first time with loss to Union and West Georgia before opening 2024 with a 59-43 win over CBU at home. The Falcons then topped West Florida 70-67 on the road before dropping a pair to Valdosta State and Auburn Montgomery. Montevallo took a 74-59 win over West Alabama with a 66-63 win over West Georgia avenging a loss from earlier in the season. Montevallo then went on a four-game skid with losses to UAH, Lee, DSU, and MC with three of those losses coming by four or less points. The Falcons snapped the losing streak with a 72-67 road win over Shorter in its most recent outing.
 
The Falcons are the top ranked free-throw shooting squad in the GSC with a 77-percent mark from the stripe which ranks 22^nd among national leaders. Montevallo's averages of 13.86 made free throws and 18.00 free throw attempts rank second among GSC leaders. Montevallo's average of 12.9 turnovers per game rank tenth among the nation's leaders in taking care of the ball while its 3.05 turnover margin ranks fourth in the GSC. Montevallo is also one of the league's top three-point shooting teams with a n average of 8.3 threes per game which is second in the league standings.
 
The Falcons offense is led by freshman Cali Smallwood who ranks eighth in the GSC with an average of 12.3 points per game while Marisa Snodgrass scores 10.9 per contest. Isabel Grimes also averages double-digit scoring with 10.0 points per game. Smallwood leads the Falcons on the glass with an average of 6.2 boards per game which ranks ninth in the league. Snodgrass remains one of the top guards in the GSC with an average of 4.8 assists per game (second) and 2.6 assist to turnover ratio (second).
 
Scouting Christian Brothers: WATCH | LIVE STATS
Christian Brothers enters Thursday's contest with a 2-20 overall record and a 2-16 mark in conference play. The Lady Bucs opened conference play with an 0-5 record in non-conference action before falling to DSU and MC on the road. CBU took its first win of the season with a 61-50 win over West Georgia. The Lady Bucs snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 68-49 win over Shorter on the road on Jan. 13. Since then, the Lady Bucs have lost six-straight with losses to DSU, UWG, MC, Union, Valdosta State and West Florida.
 
CBU ranks at the bottom of the GSC with an average of 52.6 points per game while allowing opponents to score 72.8 per contest (12^th). The Lady Bucs also struggle shooting the ball with a 33.3 percent shooting mark while its opponents shoot 43.3 percent from the floor.
 
The Lady Bucs are led in the scoring column by a 13.3 points per game average from Jeremia Montgomery who also leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game.
 
Series History Against CBU:
The Falcons hold an 12-5 record over the Lady Bucs since the series began on Nov. 23, 1997. Montevallo opened the series with an 89-75 win before going on a four-game win streak over CBU from 1998 to 2006. Since Montevallo rejoined the GSC during the 2017-18 season, Montevallo is 6-3 against Christian Brothers. The Falcons are currently on the second four-game win streak over CBU, sweeping both series in the last two seasons. Most recently, Montevallo took a 59-43 win over CBU on Jan. 2, 2024.
 
Scouting Union: WATCH | LIVE STATS
Union's 22-2 overall record and 16-2 league record both rank second in the GSC as one of just two teams who have secured a spot in the 2024 GSC tournament. The Lady Bulldogs capped the non-conference slate with a 5-0 record before opening conference play with a trio of road wins over MC, DSU and UWG. Union then pulled off the largest win in the GSC this season with a 107-35 win over Christian Brothers before taking down West Florida 100-60. The first loss of the season came at the hands of Valdosta State on Dec. 17 before the Falcons lost to Union 79-73 on New Year's Eve. The Lady Bulldogs swept the Alabama schools with wins over West Alabama, Alabama Huntsville and AUM before dropping Shorter, 102-55. Union continued its winning streak with wins over Lee, MC, DSU, UWG and CBU before heading to West Florida for an 81-78 win. In just the second of the season, Union lost to Valdosta State, 74-56, in its most recent outing.
 
Union is the highest-scoring team in the nation with an average of 94.6 points per game on a 46.7 percent shooting clip which ranks second in the league and sixth nationally. The Bulldogs' 30.5 scoring margin is also the largest in the nation. UU forces a nation-leading 28.7 turnovers per game while dishing out 19.2 assists per game.
 
Union is led in scoring by a 13.5 points per game mark from Macey Lee who also leads the team on the glass with an average of 4.2 rebounds per game. Union's Shanique Lucas leads the GSC with an average of 2.8 steals per game while scoring the team's third-best 11.5 points per game.
 
Series History Against Union:
The Falcons and Bulldogs have met on the hardwood 18 times in the history of the series, going back to Nov. 28, 1982. Union holds the advantage over the Falcons with a 16-2 record all-time against Montevallo. The Falcons took back-to-back matchups in 1989 and 1992 before Union kicked off a 14-game winning streak over Montevallo. The two sides faced off twice during the 2020-21 post season with Union sneaking away with a victory in the GSC Tournament before taking a five-point victory in the NCAA Tournament. In the most recent meeting, Montevallo fell to Union, 79-73, in Montevallo, Ala. on Dec. 31, 2023.