SAVANNAH, Ga. - The University of Montevallo, ranked No. 1 in the nation in the latest NABC Division II poll, placed four players in double figures to slip past No. 24 Presbyterian College in the first game of the 2005 Chatham Orthopaedics Holiday Classic held in Savannah, Ga. at Armstrong Atlantic State University's Alumni Arena this afternoon.

The Falcons improve to 9-0 on the season while the Blue Hose had their 10-game win streak snapped as they dropped to 10-2 overall.

Montevallo's Greg Brown led all scorers with 19 points on six-of-11 shooting from the floor, while teammate Marcus Kennedy chipped in 14 points and nine boards. Jamil Jerman and Robert Sharpe each tallied 10 points apiece for the Falcons.

The Blue Hose, which won the battle of the boards 38-31, were led by senior forward Tray Ballenger (Wellford, S.C.) with 17 points while fellow senior Johann Collins (Raleigh, N.C.) added 11 points and nine boards. Freshman guard Bryan Bostic (Norcross, Ga.) came off the bench to add nine points.

Montevallo took a 31-24 lead into halftime after shooting 46.2% from the field and forcing 12 Blue Hose turnovers in the first half.

The Blue Hose found themselves down by as many as 16 points with a little over eight minutes to play before mounting a comeback against the top ranked team in NCAA Division II. PC put together a 14-5 run over the next seven and a half minutes to trim the lead to only seven points at 56-49 with :26 seconds remaining. The Falcons were able to convert three-of-four free throws down the stretch to hold on for the victory.

Montevallo returns to action tomorrow when they take on the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne College at 4:00 pm while the Blue Hose will take on host Armstrong Atlantic State University at 8:00 pm.