Story By: Sarah Turner

On Sunday, March 15, Montevallo men’s basketball’s electric season came to a close. The Falcons fell 98-85 to the Nova Southeastern Sharks in the NCAA South Region semifinal. Nova Southeastern entered the matchup as the nation’s No. 1 team and the defending national champions.

While the result wasn’t what Montevallo hoped for so early in the tournament, the loss does little to diminish what the Falcons accomplished this season.

Under head coach Anthony Komara in his fourth year leading the program, Montevallo secured back-to-back 20-win seasons and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, something the program had not achieved in more than a decade.

The Falcons’ strong regular season paved the way to the postseason.

Picked No. 1 in the Gulf South Conference preseason poll, Montevallo battled through conference play and finished second in the league standings behind nationally ranked West Alabama. Senior forward Derek Moore was named GSC Player of the Year after a dominant campaign, while junior guard Brandon Fussell earned First Team All-GSC honors. Moore and Fussell also received All-Region recognition, and senior forward Jaylen Curry was named Second Team All-GSC.

Despite their regular season success, Montevallo’s run in the GSC Tournament ended early when seventh-seeded Lee pulled off a 69-65 upset on the Falcons’ home floor, where they had only lost one game all season long.

The loss left Montevallo waiting to see if its regional ranking would be enough to secure an NCAA Tournament bid. When the bracket was announced, the Falcons earned the No. 5 seed in the South Region, setting up a first-round matchup against No. 4 Florida Southern, a rematch of the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

In last year’s meeting, Montevallo narrowly fell 86-83 despite a combined 44 points from Moore and Fussell.

This time, the Falcons flipped the script.

Playing at the South Region host site in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Montevallo delivered one of its most complete performances of the season, defeating Florida Southern 88-81. Moore and Fussell combined for 38 points, while Curry added 15 and junior guard Tyson Sexton chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Falcons shot an efficient 50 percent from the field and knocked down 11 three-pointers at a 44 percent clip. They also controlled the paint with a 42-34 advantage and capitalized on Florida Southern’s mistakes, scoring 19 points off 14 turnovers.

The win advanced Montevallo to a semifinal matchup against Nova Southeastern, a team the Falcons faced earlier in the season.

In their November meeting, Montevallo struggled with turnovers, committing 22, and fell to the Sharks 94-78. The rematch, however, proved far more competitive.

The Falcons came out firing in the first half, knocking down eight three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes and trailing by just seven at the break.

But Nova Southeastern’s pace and offensive efficiency proved difficult to match in the second half, as the Sharks gradually pulled away to secure the 98-85 victory.

Overall, Montevallo knocked down 15 three-pointers in the game, while Fussell led Montevallo with 26 points in the final game of his junior season, going 6-of-11 from three before fouling out. Sexton added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Moore finished with 12 points and five boards before also fouling out. Freshman guard Bryant James added 12 points in the final game of his impressive freshman campaign.

The Falcons say goodbye to two key seniors in Moore and Curry, but much of the roster remains intact. Montevallo has the ability to return several impactful underclassmen along with starters Fussell and Sexton.

With a strong core returning and momentum from consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, Komara and the Falcons will look to build on their success and push the program even further in year five.