#9 Falcons Fall on the Road at #23 Christian Brothers, 73-66

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The ninth-ranked University of Montevallo men's basketball team (7-2) suffered its second loss of the season to 23rd-ranked Christian Brothers University (7-2), 73-66. The game featured 55 fouls including 45 in the second half. Both teams struggled from the free throw line as the Falcons hot 47.8 percent of their shots from the charity stripe while CBU hit 56.4 percent. The Falcons had 23 free throw attempts compared to CBU’s 39.

UM was led by junior Antoine Davis (Washington, D.C./M.M. Washington) who scored a season-high 24 points to lead all scorers. Senior Cecil Coleman (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Bay Tech) had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds while junior Tyrell Coleman (Philadelphia, Pa./Germantown) chipped in 11 points off of three three-pointers. Junior Ryan Westbrooks (Nashville, Tenn./Hillsboro) added nine points.

The Falcons shot 42.4 percent from the field while CBU once again was red hot from the field as the Bucs hit 61.5 percent from the field. In the Falcons two games against the Bucs CBU has hit 63 percent of their shots while UM has averaged 41.7 percent.

The Falcons and Bucs battled closely for the first 10 minutes of the game as neither team gained more than a three-point lead. UM then suffered an 11-minute cold streak from the field as they scored just four points in the final 11 minutes of the first half. This allowed the Bucs to outscore the Falcons 24-4 down the stretch and take a 37-18 lead into halftime.

UM and CBU traded baskets in the opening minutes of the second half which did not help UM’s cause as the Falcons continued to trail by double-digit points. With 4:13 left in the game and UM down 59-42 the Falcons went on a 10-2 run to cut the CBU lead to just nine. The Bucs responded with a lay-up and then they forced a turnover which led to a dunk to regain a 13-point advantage. With under two minutes to play the Falcons began to get whistled for a foul on every possession which allowed the Bucs to keep UM at bay. A late four-point run by the Falcons cut the Bucs lead to just seven points with three seconds left in the game but it would not be enough as CBU won 73-66.

The Falcons had three players foul out of the game while two others had four fouls. CBU had four players with four fouls when the game ended. Only two players that entered the game came away with out a foul and they played a combined seven minutes.

The ninth-ranked Falcons will return to action Tuesday, Jan. 4 at home against the University of West Florida at 4 p.m.