MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The University of Montevallo men's basketball team returns to the McChesney Student Activity Center this weekend for a pair of Gulf South Conference matchups, Friday, Dec. 1, and Sunday, Dec. 3.
 
In the first of two matchups in the SAC this weekend, UM will host Shorter on Friday at 7:30 p.m. before undefeated Lee comes to town on Sunday at 4 p.m.
 
The Falcons will open the Gulf South Conference home portion of the schedule with a 0-2 mark in league play thus far. In the conference opening weekend, UM dropped a pair of road matchups to Alabama-Huntsville and West Alabama and is still seeking the first win of the year.
 
GAME NOTES

So Far This Season…
 
Montevallo (0-5, 0-2 GSC) has faced a brutal slate to begin the season with four of its first five opponents receiving national recognition in either of the three NCAA Division II Top-25 polls at some point this season. Four of the five previous opponents are currently ranked or receiving votes in the D2 CSC South Region Poll. At this point in the year, UM's opponents are a combined 23-5. Nova Southeastern, the 2022-23 National Champions are 5-0 on the year and ranked No. 1 in the NABC Coaches Poll, D2 CSC Media Poll and the CBB Nation Poll. Barry has opened the year 4-2 overall. Clark-Atlanta is currently 6-0 and is ranked No. 16 in the CBB Nation Poll and fourth in the region. Alabama-Huntsville currently sits at 4-2 and is receiving votes in the regional poll. The Chargers were ranked as high as No. 23 in the D2 CSC Media Poll earlier this year. West Alabama at one point was ranked No. 24 in the D2 SIDA Media Poll and currently boasts a 4-1 mark. The Tigers are currently receiving votes in the NABC Coaches and CBB Nation Poll while ranking No. 9 in the region.
 
The Falcons opened the year averaging over 98 points through the first three games but have seen the offensive output take a step back with an average of 63 points through the first two conference games. Last weekend, UM opened GSC play with a loss against UAH, 100-70, before falling to West Alabama on the road, 83-56. Despite the recent struggles, UM's offense still ranks in the top four of the GSC at 84.2 points per game. UM is looking to improve on its defensive struggles thus far but faces a tall task with the league's most potent offense, Lee (92.8 PPG) coming to town. The Falcons are giving up a league-high 104.6 points per game.
 
Montevallo features one of the better three-point shooting teams across the Gulf South with 11.8 made threes per game.
 
The Falcon's fast-paced play style has led to the second-most forced turnover in the conference with 89 at a rate of 17.8 per game.
 
 
 
Scouting Shorter:
 
Six games into the season, the Hawks of Shorter University are 3-3 overall with a 1-1 mark in league action. Last weekend, Shorter opened conference action with a 78-73 win against West Florida but fell to Valdosta State 78-62, Monday.
 
The Hawks rank middle-of-the-pack in the GSC both offensively (78.7 ppg) and defensively (74.0 ppg). In addition, efficiency has been consistent as Shorter is shooting 47 percent from the floor and 40.8 percent from three-point range.  Shorter also leads the league from the charity stripe at an 81.9 percent clip. Rebounding has been a struggle for the Hawks as they rank 12^th in the league at just 27.7 boards per game.
 
Series History Against Shorter:
 
Friday night's showdown is the 18^th overall between the two programs. Montevallo leads the all-time series 14-3 overall but is just 3-2 against the Hawks since rejoining the GSC in 2017. Shorter two wins during that span on UM's home court were by a combined three points. Shorter defeated UM 82-81 last season in Montevallo. UM is 6-0 in the series in Rome, Georgia.
 
Player Highlights Montevallo:
 
Jaylen Curry leads Montevallo in scoring so far this season at 14.8 points per game. In the league-opening series last week, the Hazel Green, Alabama native led the Falcons in scoring with 16 points against UAH and 15 versus West Alabama.
 
On the boards, Justin Graham currently leads the Falcons with 4.8 rebounds per contest. In the home opener against Clark-Atlanta on Nov. 17, the Cloud County Community College Transfer dropped a career-high 31 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Albuquerque, New Mexico native Jack Henderson has been UM's top threat from deep this year. The Lewis and Clark transfer is scoring 12.2 points per game to go along with 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 three-pointers per game. Against Clark-Atlanta Henderson drained six three-pointers on 11 attempts for a season-high 20 points. His 16 attempts from deep against Barry on Nov. 11 tied for the second-most three-point attempts in a single game in program history. In that game, UM as a team lofted up 53 three-point attempts – the second most in program history – and made 16 to tie for the fourth most.
 
Player Highlights Shorter:
 
Gary Clay and Ricky Knight Jr. lead the Hawks at 16 and 12.7 points per game, respectively.
 
Ian Reith holds the advantage on the boards for Shorter at 5.8 rebounds a game.
 
The Hawks' Landon Tillman is third in the league in steals at 2.3 per game and has 16 overall.
 
Scouting Lee:
 
Lee, 4-0 overall and 2-0 in league plays, brings the top offense in the GSC to the SAC, Sunday. The undefeated Flames are scoring at a rate of 92.8 points per game and have eclipsed the century mark once.
 
The Flames opened the year with non-conference wins over Covenant College (79-43), Edward Waters (98-45) and Carolina Christian (100-54). GSC play got off to a good start for Lee with wins over Valdosta State (87-83) and West Florida (86-73) at home.
 
Lee enters the weekend shooting a 40 percent clip from deep with 11.3 made per game on the year. The squad also ranks number one in rebounding in the GSC with 45.8 per game, including a league-best 15.3 on the offensive glass.
 
Not only does Lee lead the GSC in scoring and on the glass but in passing as well. The Flames are averaging a league-high 23.0 assists per game.
 
Series History Against Lee:
 
Montevallo enters the 13^th all-time showdown against Lee with a 1-11 disadvantage. The Falcons are 1-6 against Lee at home. Last season, UM came close to snapping a nine-game Flames win streak in the series but fell in overtime, 86-82. Montevallo's last win over Lee came shortly after rejoining the GSC on Jan. 6, 2018, at home, 68-67. Eight of the previous 12 meetings have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
 
Player Highlights Lee:
 
Noah Boler-Kyle is the top scorer for Lee thus far at 16.7 points per game which ranks 12^th in the league. Reigning GSC player of the week, Beyuan Hendricks is just behind his teammate at 13.8 points per outing.
 
In addition to being the top offensive threat for the Flames, Boler Kyle leads the GSC on the glass at 9.7 rebounds per game. West Georgia transfer JJ Barnes aids in the rebounding effort at 7.3 rebounds per game, good enough for fifth in the league.
 
Hendricks and Barnes average the second and third most assists per game in the GSC at 6.0 and 5.3 per game, respectively.
Lastly, Boler-Kyle has is registering 1.7 blocks per game – the second most in the league.