MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo men's basketball heads out for a two-game road trip at Trevecca Nazarene and Lee looking to rebound after back-to-back conference losses.
 
So Far This Season…
Montevallo heads into the weekend with an 11-6 overall record and a 7-4 mark in conference play after opening the season with a 93-81 win over Barry. The Falcons then dropped a game to No. 2 Nova Southeastern before rebounding with a 99-92 win over Spring Hill on Nov. 15. Montevallo added wins over Point and Carolina Christian before falling to Cumberland in the final nonconference game of the season. Montevallo opened the Gulf South Conference schedule with a 75-60 win over Lee before topping Trevecca Nazarene, 89-71, in early December. The Falcons moved on to take wins over Delta State and Mississippi College on the road before adding a 70-66 win over Christian Brothers on Dec. 19 and a 76-73 win over Union on Dec. 21. The Falcons returned from winter break for a 93-85 loss at Auburn Montgomery and a loss at No. 6 Alabama Huntsville ending the skid with an 83-73 win over West Alabama on the road. Last week, Montevallo hosted No. 18 Valdosta State for a 90-76 loss before falling to West Florida, 68-64, in the Falcons' most recent outing.
 
Montevallo ranks fourth in the GSC with an average of 80.4 points per game on a fourth-best 46.7 percent shooting and 74.3 percent from the charity stripe. On the glass, Montevallo averages 35.7 rebounds per game with 11.1 rebounds coming off the offensive glass while the Falcons allow 33.5 rebounds per game for a 2.2 rebounding margin. Defensively, Montevallo allows just 76.4 points per game on a 44.8-percent shooting clip and 35.5 percent from long range. The Falcons forced 13.9 turnovers per game for the third most from any GSC team.
 
Individually, Montevallo is led by Brandon Fussell with an average of 17.7 points per game while leading the team with 3.4 assists per game and pulling down 3.1 rebounds. Jaylen Curry ranks second on the squad with 16.3 points per game while averaging 6.3 rebounds per game. Derek Moore rounds out the Falcons' double-digit scorers with 13.6 points per game on an impressive 56.4-percent shooting while averaging 5.4 rebounds per game.
 
Scouting Trevecca Nazarene: WATCH | LIVE STATS
TNU heads into Thursday's matchup with a 12-5 overall record and a 7-4 mark in conference play after opening the season with a 77-64 loss to Palm Beach Atlantic and taking a 91-85 win over Embry-Riddle. The Trojans went on to add wins over Welch and Shorter in mid-November before topping Kentucky Christian, 105-58, on Nov. 19. TNU closed the nonconference slate with a 95-56 win over Cumberland on Nov. 23. The Trojans opened GSC action with an 88-83 loss to Alabama Huntsville on Nov. 27 before topping AUM, 69-68, on Dec. 5. The Trojans then dropped a game to Montevallo before rebounding with a 64-51 win over West Alabama on Dec. 14. TNU then dropped a game on the road at Valdosta State on Dec. 19 before closing 2024 with a 79-65 win over West Florida on Dec. 21. The Trojans added an 82-78 win over Lee before topping Delta State and Mississippi College on Jan. 9 and Jan. 13, respectively. The Trojans went on the road to take for a 91-76 win over Christian Brothers on Jan. 16 before falling to Union, 86-83, in the most recent outing.
 
Trevecca Nazarene ranks third in the conference with 85.0 points per game on a third-best 47.8 percent from the floor and 36.5 percent from long range. The Trojans average 37.8 rebounds per game with an average of 9.8 offensive rebounds per game while dishing out 17.47 assists per game with just 12.9 turnovers per game. Defensively, TNU allows 74.7 points per game on 43.1-percent shooting which ranks second in the conference. The Trojans force and average of 11.2 turnovers per game from opponents.
 
TNU is led by the league's leading scorer in Jalen Page with an average of 22.5 points per game on 46.3-percent from the floor while averaging 5.4 rebounds per game. Jikari Johnson ranks second on the squad at 19.3 points per game on 46.5-percent shooting while NaVuan Peterson leads the team with an average of 8.0 rebounds per game and 10.4 points per game.
 
Series History Against Trevecca Nazarene:
Since joining Div. II, Montevallo and Trevecca Nazarene have faced off just once. On Dec. 7, 2024, Montevallo won the inaugural meeting, 89-71, in Montevallo, Ala.
 
Scouting Lee: WATCH | LIVE STATS
Lee enters the weekend with a 7-8 overall record and a 3-8 mark in conference play after opening the season with an 89-69 win over Tennessee Southern on Nov. 9. The Flames added a win over Lindsey Wilson on Nov. 13 before topping Lane College on Nov. 18. Lee closed the nonconference schedule with a 74-72 win over Claflin on the road. The Flames opened GSC play with a 75-60 loss to Montevallo on the road before dropping a game to AUM, 74-66, on Dec. 7. Lee then fell to West Alabama, 68-67, before taking a loss at the hands of Alabama Huntsville on Dec. 14. Lee closed 2024 with a pair of road losses at West Florida and Valdosta State. Out of the holiday break, Lee fell to Trevecca Nazarene, 82-78, before picking up its first conference win against Mississippi College on Jan. 9. The Flames added an 82-64 win over Delta State on Jan. 12 before falling to Union, 73-60, on Jan. 16. Most recently, Lee defeated Christian Brothers, 69-66, on Jan. 18.
 
Lee boasts one of the top defenses in the league allowing just 69.7 points per game while forcing 12.0 turnovers per game and averaging 6.47 steals per contest. On the other side of the floor, Lee averages 72.0 points per game on a second-best 48.2-percent shooting and 34.0 percent from long range. On the glass, Lee averages 31.7 rebounds per game with an average of 8.7 offensive rebounds per game.
 
Lee is led by Marlon Smith who averages 11.9 points per game on 43.3-percent shooting while pulling down 4.2 rebounds per game. Giancarlo Valdez ranks second on the team with 11.8 points per game on 55.3-percent from the floor and 36.7-percent from long range while averaging 2.7 boards per game and 2.3 assists per game. Noah Boler-Kyle rounds out the top scorers for Lee with 10.5 points per game on 62.1-percent shooting while leading the team with 4.9 rebounds per game.  
 
Series History Against Lee:
The Falcons have historically struggled against the Flames with a 2-13 all-time record against Lee on the hardwood. With the series beginning on Jan. 31, 1995, Lee has won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two sides with Montevallo's first series win coming on Jan. 16, 2018, with a 68-67 win in Montevallo, Ala. Most recently, Montevallo topped Lee, 75-60, on Dec. 5, 2024.