MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo men's basketball dropped a meeting with Valdosta State, 90-76, on Thursday night.
 
The two sides traded buckets in a chippy start to the contest before Valdosta State opened a 7-0 run to take a 16-9 lead. Jay Gillispie ended the run with an old-school three-point play before Max Gardner cut the lead down to 16-14 with a coast-to-coast finish. The Falcons then went on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 22-22 with 10:15 left in the half before Gardner put the Falcons on top with a trip to the line. Junior Derek Moore finished through contact and converted the free throw to give the Falcons a 30-29 lead with 6:04 left. The Blazers went on a 13-0 run over the next four minutes to regain control at 43-30 at the 2:17 mark. Camden Andrews knocked down a pair of free throws for the final points of the first half with the Falcons trailing 45-36.
 
Montevallo cut the lead down to five with buckets from Jaylen Curry and Brandon Fussell in the early part of the second half before the Blazers stretched the lead back to double digits at 53-43. Another Moore three-point play ended a quick 5-0 VSU run at the 14:40 mark. With 13:06 on the clock, Curry cut the lead down to 59-50 with a dunk in transition. The Blazers kept Montevallo at bay with a flurry of threes to take a 74-58 lead at the 9:27 mark. A few minutes later, Fussell added two points with a circus finish at the rim to trim the lead back down to 11. At the 6:30 mark, Moore cut the lead back down to single digits at 77-68 with a putback. The Blazers held a double-digit lead for the final six minutes to take a 90-76 win over the Falcons.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 76 | Valdosta State 90
Records: Montevallo 11-5 (7-3 GSC) | Valdosta State 14-2 (9-1 GSC)
Location: Central State Bank Arena | Montevallo, Ala.
 
GAME NOTES

• The two sides shot the ball well at 43.3 percent for both teams but a 14-4 advantage in three-pointers for VSU proved to be the difference.
• The Falcons struggled to handle the Blazers' pressure with 21 turnovers on the night for the second most in game this season.
• Derek Moore led the Falcons with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting to pair with 13 rebounds including six offensive rebounds. Moore's 20-point performance is the second-straight 20-point game for the junior.
• Brandon Fussell finished with 17 points on 5-of-15 shooting and 6-of-7 from the line.

 
UP NEXT: Montevallo hosts West Florida on Saturday, Jan. 18 in Montevallo, Ala. as the Falcons celebrate 60 years of Montevallo men's basketball.