MONTEVALLO, Ala. --- The Mississippi College women's basketball team picked up a pivotal, Gulf South Conference, road victory on Saturday, Feb. 3 as it topped the University of Montevallo, 75-72, inside Central State Bank Arena. MC improved to
 
The win marked the first time this season that the Blue and Gold won after trailing through three quarters and the second under the Greg Long era.
 
Four Choctaws scored in double figures paced by Amelia Bell and Karly Ivy with 17 points each. Bell added a team-best nine rebounds as she missed on her sixth career double-double. Kyiah Julian added 16 points – two points shy of equaling her season-best effort. It marks the 10th, double-digit scoring performance of the season for Ivy – a team-high. It is the eighth for Bell and the seventh for Julian on the campaign.
 
Nia Coleman recorded her third double-figure, scoring effort as she rounded out the quartet with 12 points, which matches her season-high. It is the second time this season that four Choctaws have scored 10-or-more points in a game this season.
 
MC was nearly perfect from the free-throw line in the game as it knocked down 24-of-26 attempts, for a season-high 92.3 percent. The Blue and Gold was 23-for-55 from the field, for 41.8 percent, and grabbed 37 rebounds.
 
Cali Smallwood led the Falcons with 17 points and 10 rebounds. UM shot 33.3 percent from the floor and was 23-of-29 from the charity stripe with 38 boards.
 
Trailing most of the way, the Choctaws thwarted the Purple and Gold's effort to snatch a regular-season sweep in the final period as it outscored UM, 34-26. The 34 points in the fourth quarter is the most by a Long-coached, MC team in any quarter since his arrival during the 2020-21 season.
 
Julian gave the Choctaws their first lead since early in the third quarter as she knocked down a 3-pointer with 8:28 left to play in the game. It marked her second trey of the game and the 138th of her collegiate career. The lead expanded to five points on a jumper by Ivy just over a minute later. However, the Falcons rallied and tied the contest four times over the next four minutes, but could overcome the deficit.
 
Coleman pushed the lead back to three points with under three to play with a jumper in the paint and followed with a 3-pointer with under a minute to go to give the Choctaws their largest lead of the game. The Choctaws knocked down 8 of its final 10 free throws. One of the two misses left the door ajar with nine ticks remaining, but a Falcon ball-handling error was swooped up by Julian, as time expired, and officially closed the door on the outcome. The steal was one of a team-best three for the Greenwood, Ark., native in the game.
 
Mississippi College returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 8 as it hosts the University of West Alabama in one of three home outings left on the regular-season slate. MC looks for a season sweep of the visitors from the Yellowhammer State. Tip-off in A.E. Wood Coliseum is set for 5:30 p.m.
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