Montevallo, Ala. -- The Lady Hawks turned in their second straight Gulf South Conference, road victory Tuesday evening; topping Montevallo 95-60 in dominating fashion.
With the win, Shorter moves to 4-10 on the season and 2-6 in the GSC; while the Falcons slip to 2-13 overall and 0-7 in conference play.
The Lady Hawks set the momentum early, jumping out to a quick nine-point lead, using a 10-1 run to begin the first quarter.
Raven Fair got things started with the first points of the game on a layup in the opening seconds before
Jasmine Gaines,
Bianca Thornton and
BreAnna Thompson followed with the same. Montevallo countered with their first field goal of the night, a layup from D'Miyah Foster, but weren't able to muster anymore as Shorter posted an 11-2 run to close out the period with a 21-5 advantage.
The Falcons looked to gain some momentum in the opening minutes of the second quarter, using a 12-7 run to open the period; only to have the Lady Hawks counter to keep the advantage and add to their lead with seven straight points from Thornton to make it a 35-17 game with just under a minute remaining and went on to take a 38-21 lead into the halftime break.
Shorter pulled away in the third, using a 15-2 run midway through the period to make it a 25-point game, 55-30, with 2:31 to play. Before adding to it with a free throw from
Grace Keheley, a three from Thornton and a layup from
Denise Newton over the final minute to hold a 61-32 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Hawks kept pouring it in the final period, scoring 34 points in the quarter alone. The Falcons opened the frame on a 7-2 run to cut into the lead, making it a 63-39 game with 8:24 to play. But, that would as close as they'd get as Shorter didn't let up; using a 17-2 run late in the game to extend the lead to thirty-eight, 93-55, with just under a minute to go. During the span, five different players scored, while
Tatum Ragsdale tallied the final six on her own.
The Lady Hawks were dominant from the start; shooting 48 percent, including 31 percent from beyond the arc and 60 percent from the free throw line. While, forcing 24 Falcon turnovers and converting them into 30 points. On the night, Shorter posted new season highs in points, field goals made (34), steals (13), and rebounds (49). With three players finishing in double-figures; led by Thornton with 25. Gaines added 17 and Fair chipped in with 10. Ragsdale and Keheley each finished with nine points apiece.
Thornton led the effort on the glass as well, recording 11 rebounds; while Fair tallied eight and Gaines pulled down seven. Gaines also turned in a season's best six assists.
De'Asia Marsh led the Falcons with 14 points, to go along with 13 from Kassidy Bonebreak.
Shorter will look to keep things going Saturday as they travel to longtime rival, Lee University, for the first meeting of the teams this season. Game time from the Walker Arena in Cleveland, Tenn. is set for 5:00pm.
