PENSACOLA, Fla. – Halee Nieman scored a UWF school-record 42 points and had 20 rebounds as UWF defeated Montevallo, 98-86, at the UWF Field House Monday.

Nieman took over after halftime, scoring half of the Argos' points in a 30-14 run that put the game out of reach as they extended their lead to 70-46 after 30 minutes. UWF shot 64 percent in the third and held Montevallo to 19 percent.

UWF (7-3, 2-1 Gulf South) was in control from start to finish as it rebounded from a disappointing loss on Saturday to West Alabama.

"We played good basketball and corrected the mistakes from Saturday," said head coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton. "I thought Halee did a tremendous job. She scored from outside, penetrating, made free throws and was all over the court. It's just an accumulation of the hard work she's been putting in during practice."

Nieman matched the most points in a Division II game this season and netted the ninth-highest GSC total, while collecting the tenth-most rebounds in a game in UWF history. She was 13-of-21 with one triple and 15-of-23 at the line.

Belle Bistrow was dialed in from outside, making 4-of-5 treys to finish with 17 points. Danielle Norquest added eight points and eight rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench. Jade Davis dished out a career-high 10 assists to go along with six points and six boards.

The Argonauts shot 44 percent and controlled the glass throughout, finishing with a 54-33 edge.

Montevallo (2-10, 0-4) shot 38 percent and stayed close with 11 3-pointers and 27-of-33 from the free throw line. The teams combined to shoot 81 free throws. Jomeika Morine led the Falcons with 26 points and Kassidy Bonebrake added 22. Both players made 4 outside shots.

UWF got out to a 9-3 lead before hitting a scoring drought of just over three minutes, at which time the Falcons tied it at 9-9. UM trimmed the UWF lead to 14-12 with 2:35 left before the Argos went on a 8-0 run to close the frame.

The strong play continued into the second frame, as the Blue and Green put together a 9-4 run near midway point, stretching their lead to 32-22. But the Falcons hung tough, keeping it close with some good outside shooting. They made six 3-pointers and drew to within 40-32 at the half. Baskets in the final 70 seconds by Morine and Alba Perez cut the deficit to single digits for the first time in seven minutes.

Points were hard to come by for the Falcons to start the third. UWF held the visitors without a point in their first five possessions over the first 2:30. Meanwhile, Nieman was filling up the basket with a 3-point play and a pair of jumpers to stake the Argonauts to a 47-34 lead. The Argos eventually outscored the Falcons 30-14 in the 10-minute stretch for the 24-point lead.

About the only suspense at that point was if Nieman would be able to reach 40 and make a run at the record, previously held by Iris Mendenhall when she scored 41 against Piedmont in 1989. The Midland, Michigan native surpassed Mendenhall on a layup with 2:12 to play. 

UWF will be off for the holiday break and return to action after the new year, when it travels to Shorter on January 2.