LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Men's Basketball team is set to make their return to Pruitt Hall this week as the Tigers welcome the Auburn Montgomery Warhawks on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. before hosting the Montevallo Falcons on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
West Alabama (9-5, 5-3 GSC) enters this week's play after splitting their Tennessee road trip last week with a two-point loss coming to Christian Brothers before securing a nine-point win over Union. As for AUM (6-6, 3-4 GSC), they make the trip to Livingston after handing Montevallo (10-3, 6-1 GSC) their first conference loss this past Saturday, 93-85.
14 games into the season, UWA is currently sitting in fourth place in the GSC standings while leading the conference with 66.2 points allowed per game. The Tigers have steadily improved as the year has gone on, but the next step in their progression is on the offensive end.
Thaddeus Williams,
Jaylen Lemons,
Rasean Frederick, and
Marcellious Lockett have been the anchors offensively for West Alabama as the quartet enters this week's play averaging double figures. Williams continues to be the most consistent player on the Tigers' roster, scoring in double figures in all but one game for UWA, leading to the Point Guard averaging 16.1 points per game which easily leads the team.
Along with Williams and West Alabama's other three double digit scorers,
Travion McCray has emerged as a spark off the bench. McCray missed the first eight games of the season, but since being activated, he's given head coach
Nick Woodruff solid minutes. McCray comes into Thursday's matchup after putting together his best performance in a UWA uniform last week against Union, turning in 10 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in 28 minutes..
Auburn Montgomery has been a bit of a wildcard this season as the Warhawks currently stand at 6-6 but hold wins over Union and Montevallo. AUM has the offensive firepower to explode any given night in which they showed in their wins over the Bulldogs and Falcons, scoring 96 and 93 points, respectively in those two contests. The Warhawks' Malachi Rhodes resides as one of the most gifted offensive big men in the GSC. The 6'8" Forward is able to get to his spots in the midrange while also possessing a nice touch around the rim, propelling him to a team-high 12.3 points per game on 45.7 percent shooting.
Sophomores Chappelle Whitney and Paul Lanzi have emerged as key players for AUM next to Rhodes. Whitney ranks second on the team in scoring with 11.8 points per game while Lanzi ranks third with 10.4 points. With sharpshooter Sam Youngblood out for the Warhawks, Lanzi has filled in his shoes nicely as he comes into Thursday's game averaging 26 points in his last two contests.
After finishing the 2023-24 season with a 12-16 overall record, Montevallo has been the surprise team of the league in 2024-25 as they currently sit third in the GSC with a 10-3 overall record and a 6-1 conference record. Despite their record last year, the Falcons were able to score the ball with anyone in the league but their defense was their Achilles Heel as they allowed 86 points per game. This year is a completely different story on the defensive end for Montevallo as they are only allowing 74.7 points per game while their offense has remained stellar, averaging 81.9 points per game.
Along with their improved defense, a big reason for Montevallo's turnaround is the emergence of Brandon Fussell. Fussell was solid as a true freshman last year for the Falcons and was named the Runner up for the GSC Freshman of the Year Award but the combo guard has taken his game to the next level in 2024-25. This season, Fussell is averaging 19.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.2 steals on 53 | 44 | 83 percent shooting splits, making the sophomore an early GSC Player of the Year candidate. Next to Fussell, Jaylen Curry and Derek Moore are averaging 15.7 and 11.9 points per game, creating a dynamic scoring trio with Fussell.
Tip-off for Thursday's matchup against AUM is set for 7:00 p.m. while Saturday's contest against Montevallo is slated for 4:00 p.m.
