Story By: Jake Stoup
Montevallo, Ala. — The Montevallo men’s basketball team saw their Gulf South Conference tournament run on March 8 end with a loss to No. 2 seed Valdosta State after a nail-biter of a game with the score ending 81-79. The Falcons reached the Gulf South Conference semifinals for the first time since 2007.
The back-and-forth battle on the hardwood saw 10 ties and 10 lead changes, with Brandon Fussell putting up 28 points and a double-double from Derek Moore.
Brandon Fussell has been named to the GSC All-Tournament team this year. Brandon Fussell earned his spot by being one of the top performers in the league. Over the course of Montevallo’s playoff run, Fussell averaged 24, four rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.
He played all 40 minutes in Montevallo’s quarterfinals win over sixth seed West Alabama and 38 minutes in the semifinal match against Valdosta State.
Although the team’s conference tournament dreams ended, after going 20-10 in the Gulf South Conference, Montevallo men’s basketball earned a berth in the NCAA Division II tournament. This marks the team’s first tournament appearance since 2016.
Montevallo is going into this tournament as the No. 6 seed facing off against the No. 3 seed Florida Southern on March 15th in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Tip off is set for 11 a.m.
This is Montevallo’s 12th selection for the NCAA Division II tournament. In the past, Montevallo participated in the tournament 11 times before between 2003 and 2016.
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