MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo men's basketball returns from the holiday break to take on Auburn Montgomery on the road on Jan. 4 with tipoff set for 4 p.m.
So Far This Season…
The Falcons sit atop the Gulf South Conference standings with a 6-0 GSC record and a 10-2 overall record through the first two months of the season. To start the 2024-25 season, Montevallo topped Barry, 93-81, in the first of two games in the GSC-SSC Crossover Classic before the Falcons fell to No. 2 Nova Southeastern. Montevallo's first road trip of the season came in the form of a 99-92 win over Spring Hill on Nov. 15. The Falcons returned home for a pair of wins over Point and Carolina Christian before falling to Cumberland in the final non-conference game of the season. Montevallo picked up its first of six GSC victories with a 75-60 win over Lee on Dec. 5 before adding an 89-71 win against Trevecca Nazarene on Dec. 7. The Falcons went back on the road for an 89-81 win over Delta State and a 70-58 win at Mississippi College on Dec. 12 and 14, respectively. Montevallo went on to top Christian Brothers, 70-66, on Dec. 19 before closing 2024 with a 76-73 victory over Union on Dec. 21.
The Falcons rank fourth in the league with an average of 81.7 points per game while allowing just 73.2 points for a fourth-best 8.5 scoring margin. Montevallo's team shooting percentage of 47.2 percent ranks third among conference leaders while the Falcons' 37.3-percent mark from long range also ranks third in the GSC. On the glass, the Falcons average 35.8 rebounds per game while ranking third in the conference with 11.4 offensive boards per game. The Falcons also rank third in the GSC with an average of 9.25 steals per game while dishing out an average of 12.58 assists per game.
Brandon Fussell has proven to be one of the top scorers in the conference with an average of 18.8 points per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 45.6 percent from deep. The sophomore also leads the team with 3.6 assists per game and 2.2 steals per game.
Jaylen Curry ranks second on the squad with an average of 15.9 points per game while leading the squad with an average of 6.2 rebounds per game.
Derek Moore (11.2) and
Camden Andrews (10.6) have also eclipsed double-digit scoring numbers so far this season.
Scouting Auburn Montgomery: WATCH | LIVE STATS
AUM enters the weekend with a 5-6 overall record and a 2-4 mark in conference play after opening the season with a loss to Florida Southern and a win over Saint Leo in early November. The Warhawks added a second win over Georgia College on Nov. 13 before falling to Lincoln on Nov. 16. AUM closed the non-conference slate with a 60-57 win over Miles on Nov. 26. The Warhawks fell to Trevecca Nazarene, 69-68, on Dec. 5 to open conference play before topping Lee, 74-66, on Dec. 7. AUM's fist conference road trip of the season saw the Warhawks fall to Delta State and Mississippi College in mid-December. The Warhawks closed 2024 with a 96-72 win over Union on Dec. 19 before dropping a meeting with Christian Brothers, 81-71, on Dec. 21.
AUM averages 72.9 points per game on a 43.1-percent shooting clip with a 31.9-percent mark from long range while shooting 71.6 percent at the free-throw line. On the glass, the Warhawks pull down an average of 34.3 rebounds per game with 9.2 of those coming off the offensive glass. AUM also averages 9.6 assists per game with 11.8 turnovers per contest for a 0.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. Defensively, the Warhawks allow 75.8 points per game on an opponent shooting percentage of 43.5 percent.
Malachi Rhodes leads the squad with an average of 13.1 points per game on an impressive 45.7-percent shooting while also leading the squad with 8.1 rebounds per game. Chapelle Whitney ranks second on the team scoring 12.0 points per game on a team-high 52.1 percent from the floor and 45.7 percent from long range. Arion Lewis is AUM's top passer with a team-leading 3.3 assists per game while Gilbert Croley leads the squad with 1.6 steals per game.
Series History Against Auburn Montgomery:
Since rejoining the GSC in the 2016-17 season, Montevallo holds an 11-5 record against the in-state rival with the Falcons opening the series with three-straight wins from 2016-2018. In the short-lived series, the Falcons have never lost two-consecutive games with AUM taking wins in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Most recently, the Falcons took both games a season ago with the most recent win coming in a 98-93 win on March 2, 2024.
