MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The University of Montevallo men's basketball team will host West Alabama, Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the McChesney Student Activity Center.
 
After a three-game Gulf South Conference road trip, Montevallo returns home for its second home contest of 2024, riding a two-game winning streak.  
 
The Falcons begin the second round of conference play Wednesday with in-state rival West Alabama. In the first matchup of the year, UWA topped the Falcons 83-56 in Livingston, Alabama.



Game Information 

Matchup: Montevallo (6-10, 5-7 GSC) vs West Alabama (12-4, 9-3 GSC)
When: Wednesday, Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Montevallo, AL | McChesney Student Activity Center


GAME NOTES

• Montevallo is seeking its third straight win of the year following back-to-back road wins last week.
• The Falcons are looking for its first home win over West Alabama since 2013.
• Against Valdosta State, Aidan Gardiner recorded a career-high 12 rebounds and surpassed that mark against AUM on Jan. 13, with 14. He is averaging 3.6 rebounds per game this year but has 6.8 per game in his five starts..
• Against AUM, the Falcons turned the ball over just 12 times which is the fourth lowest mark this season.
• Three Falcons are coming off 20-plus point outings against AUM last time out, for the first time this season.

So Far This Season…
 
Montevallo (6-10, 5-7 GSC) returns home to continue its January slate with a 3-2 record to open the new year. Montevallo earned its second consecutive win on the road, Saturday, 86-78 over AUM.  

The Falcons face West Alabama in the first of two games this week. After the lone home matchup on Wednesday, the Falcons will head to West Georgia, Saturday, Jan. 20.
 

UM's offense has been inconsistent this season but is currently the best in the league at 82.5 points per game. Over the two-game winning streak, the UM offense has clicked, averaging 90 points a game, but the defense continues to be an issue as its opponents have averaged 82.5 points over the same timeframe. The Falcons had their best defensive outing of the season on Jan. 2, at home, against CBU, holding the Bucs to just 68 points. Since then UM has allowed 78 or more in each of its next three games.
 
Montevallo continues to be one of the better three-point shooting teams across the Gulf South with 10.4 three-pointers made per game. The Falcons have made 10 or more threes in 10 of 16 games so far. Th Falcons finished one-shy of its season-high with 15 three-pointers against Valdosta State and the added 14 against AUM.
 

UM's fast-paced style of play has led to opponent turnovers and fastbreak points in abundance this season. as well. The Falcons are averaging 14.4 fastbreak points per game, ranking second in the GSC and 36^th in Division II, while also forcing 15.7 turnovers per game which is third in the league and also top-40 nationally.
 
Part of the reason UM's offense has found success recently is due in part to its ball distribution. The Falcons are second in the league with 16.2 assists per game and recorded 18 in each of its last two outings.
 

Scouting West Alabama:
 
West Alabama, 12-4 overall and 9-3 in league play travels to Montevallo, riding a two-game win streak.  
 
The Tigers rank first in the league defensively and have only allowed 62.3 points per game to their opponents. Montevallo scored 56 last time out against UWA.
 
The Tigers' defense has balanced out its lackluster offense this season, which is scoring just 71.6 points per game for 11^th in the GSC, leading to a second-place position currently in the GSC standings.
 
West Alabama is middle-of-the-pack in terms of three-point shooting this season but collected a season-high 17 total three-pointers in the previous matchup with Montevallo this season.
 
The Tigers are 3-4 on the road this year. Last time out away from Livingston, UWA fell to Christian Brothers 67-46.
 
Series History Against UWA:
 
The Falcons host West Alabama for the second time this season and for the 13th meeting since 2013. West Alabama enters the contest with a 9-3 lead in the series and is on a one-game win streak after defeating UM 83-56 in Livingston, Alabama on Nov. 27.
 
Of the six home meetings since 2013, Montevallo is 1-5 with the lone victory on Nov. 15, 2023, 85-67. The road team has one seven of the previous 12 meetings.
 
Player Highlights Montevallo:
 
16 games into the year, Jaylen Curry has established himself as Montevallo's leading scorer with 16.2 points per game. The sophomore forward who joined the Falcons from Wallace State Community College this season, has scored in double-figures 11 times this season, including a career-high 32 against Lee. Curry's 32-point outing is the most points a Falcon has scored this season.

Curry is one of four Falcons averaging in double-figures this season, ahead of fellow transfers Cam Glover (15.8 ppg) and Jack Henderson (11.9 ppg), along with 11.1 points per game from freshman Brandon Fussell.
 
Fussell returns home this week following a career week in both of UM's recent wins. The Guntersville, Alabama native scored a career-high 30 at Valdosta State and then added 22 points in a win over AUM for an average of 26 on the week.

Coming off his first double-double performance of the season, Henderson continued to be one of Montevallo's leaders on the boards as he grabbed seven rebounds to bring his average to a team-high 5.0 on the year. Additionally, Henderson caught fire from deep recently with 11 total three-pointers last week. He capped the week with a season-high seven against AUM as he finished 7-of-12 from the floor.
 
Over the last two games, Henderson has not been the only rebounding threat to emerge for UM. Junior Aidan Gardiner grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds against Valdosta State and then broke that mark with 14 against AUM. He added 11 points last time out for his first double-double of the year.

Glover, a junior transfer from Birmingham-Southern, is UM's leading sharpshooter with 2.8 three-pointers made per game. The Trussville, Alabama native has scored in double-figures a team-high 14 times this year, including a season-high 28 against Shorter. He is currently second in the GSC in three-pointers made at 44. Last time out he totaled 25 points and four three-pointers.  

Glover also leads UM with 3.3 assists per game.
 


Player Highlights UWA:
 
Four players in double-figures lead West Alabama so far this season with Thaddeus Williams in front at 13.6 points per game.
 
Jaylen Lemons, scoring 13.1 points per game, is UWA's biggest threat from beyond-the-arc as he has made a GSC third-best 37 three-pointers this year for 2.3 per game. Lemons had five threes in the win over Montevallo on Nov. 27.
 
C.J. Melton is top five in the league in rebounds as he has 7.2 per game on average.
 
Terry Durham and Kuran Garner are averaging 11.1 and 12.4 points per game, respectively.