MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo men's basketball set a program record with 13 Gulf South Conference victories after defeating West Alabama, 88-74, behind Brandon Fussell's nine threes that tied a UM record.
 
The two sides traded buckets for the first five minutes before Fussell nailed a three in the corner to give Montevallo a 9-7 and spark a 12-2 UM run. Over the next minute, Aidan Gardiner scored five-straight for the Falcons to go up 13-7 before Camden Andrews knocked down a triple from the top of the key with 11:55 to play. Derek Moore capped the Falcons' run with a finish at the rim that gave Montevallo a 19-9 lead. The Tigers cut into the lead with a 6-1 run before Jaylen Curry hit another UM three to stop the run. Fussell then added back-to-back threes to eclipse double digits and give Montevallo a 31-17 lead with 5:49 left before the break. Curry hit the sixth Falcon triple of the half with 3:33 left to go up 36-23. UWA cut the lead down to single digits before Reese Gurner's first bucket of the game stretched the Falcons lead back to 11. UWA scored the final points of the half to go into the break with Montevallo leading 40-31.
 
Fussell continued his historic outing with the first points of the second half coming from beyond the arc while the sophomore scored the first seven points of the half for the Falcons. A 6-0 UWA run over the next three minutes cut Montevallo's lead down to 47-40 with 15:31 to play. On the next UM possession, Tyson Sexton's first three points of the game ended the run. Over the next five minutes, Fussell would score all 11 Montevallo points on 3-for-3 from deep to stretch the lead to 63-45 with 10:46 left. With 8:11 left, Fussell knocked down his record ninth three to cap an 11-0 Falcon run that pushed the advantage to 74-48, Montevallo's largest lead of the game. Montevallo held to its 20-point lead over the next four minute before UWA outscored the Falcons 13-5 in the final four minutes. The Falcons lead was too much to overcome as Montevallo made history with an 88-74 win.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 88 | West Alabama 74
Records: Montevallo 17-8 (13-6 GSC) | West Alabama 12-13 (9-11 GSC)
Location: Central State Bank Arena | Montevallo, Ala.
 
GAME NOTES

• Montevallo's 13 conference wins set a record after eclipsing the 12-win record that stood since the 2005-06 season.
• Brandon Fussell tied Braxton Bertolette's previous record with nine threes to become one of just two Falcons in history to achieve the feat.
• The Falcons shot the ball well with a 50.8-percent clip from the floor while shooting 45.7 percent from deep.
• West Alabama won the rebounding battle, 33-31, with each team pulling down seven offensive boards.
• Brandon Fussell led the game with 35 points, including a 25-point second half, on 12-of-18 shooting and 9-of-13 from deep while adding three assists and two steals.

 
UP NEXT: Montevallo hosts No. 3 Alabama Huntsville in the final home game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m.