MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Junior guard/forward Evelina Avleeva posted a double-double while sophomore forward Regan Croff recorded a pair of career-highs for the Auburn Montgomery women's basketball team on Monday evening, lifting the Warhawks to a 60-57 victory over Mississippi College.
 
NOTES
• AUM improves to 6-4 on the season, 2-2 in Gulf South Conference play.
• Mississippi College falls to 4-6 on the year and 1-4 in GSC action.
• This was the first contest between AUM and Mississippi College.
• The 44 rebounds and 18 offensive boards are both season-highs for the Warhawks.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Avleeva paced the Warhawks with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
• Croff posted 12 points with nine rebounds, both personal-bests, to go with a pair of blocks.
• Freshman guard Makaylla Bullard scored 12 points with a team-high five assists.
• For Mississippi College, Lauren Sheriff scored 16 points with 11 boards while Zariah Matthews dished out a game-high six assists.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• AUM kicked off the contest with a 10-0 run over the opening three minutes to create an early double-digit advantage. Mississippi College ended the run with a triple, sparking a 10-5 run to make it 15-10. AUM responded with four-straight points, but Mississippi College scored one more basket to make it 19-12 after the first frame.
• The Choctaws made it a two-point contest with a 9-4 run to start the quarter to make it 23-21 before a 4-0 AUM run to end the half recreated a six-point cushion at 27-21.
• In similar fashion to the first quarter, the Warhawks kicked off the second half with nine-straight points to create a game-high 15 point lead at 36-21. MC responded 18-3 rally to knot up the score with 10 seconds left before a Bullard layup as time expired kept AUM ahead going into the final frame, 41-39.
• AUM added to the lead with a layup from sophomore guard Aaliyah Milord, but an 8-4 response by the visitors knotted up the score at 47-all. The Warhawks held onto the lead with a triple from Avleeva on the ensuing possession. The Choctaws cut the separation to two more times before the final buzzer, with the Warhawks responding to each one to maintain the lead.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• The Warhawks converted on 20-62 shots, going 7-23 from three-point territory and 13-20 from the free throw line.
• Mississippi College went 22-63 from the field, 6-16 from beyond the arc and 7-9 from the free throw line.
• AUM recorded 12 assists while the Choctaws posted 15
• AUM committed 11 turnovers, resulting in 14 MC points. Mississippi College committed 13 turnovers, leading to 13 points.
• Both sides registered 44 rebounds.
• AUM recorded three steals with five blocks while the Choctaws stole the ball five times with three blocks.
 
UP NEXT
The women's basketball team closes out the 2017 docket on Saturday, Dec. 30 against Anderson in a non-conference clash at 2 p.m.
 
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