CARROLLTON, Ga. – The University of West Georgia Men's Basketball team will have a chance to avenge one of their losses this weekend as the Wolves welcome the Montevallo Falcons to The Coliseum for a 4:00 p.m. GSC rematch on Saturday.

#13 West Georgia (14-2, 10-2 GSC) enters this weekend's rematch on a five-game winning streak with their last win coming against Mississippi College on Saturday while Montevallo (7-10, 6-7 GSC) enters on three-game winning streak after upsetting West Alabama on Wednesday.

"Montevallo is playing really well right now," said head coach Dave Moore. "They've won four of their last five and they're shooting the ball well. They're shooting in the mid-40s from three, so we are going to have our hands full with those guys trying to stay in front of them and contest shots which is what we have to do."

Earlier this season, back on December 15, 2023, Montevallo handed UWG their first loss of the season. The Wolves had an abysmal first half as they shot 27.6% from the floor and 0-12 from three, leading to a 12-point deficit going into halftime. West Georgia played much better in the second half, led by Cole Fisher who scored all of his 19 points, on six made threes, in the period but it wasn't enough as the Wolves fell, 72-69, in Montevallo, Alabama after a game-winning three from Montevallo's Justin Graham.

In that game, the Falcons completely neutralized UWG's Camron Donatlan as the guard turned in a season-low two points in 26 minutes. Being one of the best two-way guards in the GSC, Donatlan is involved with a lot of what the Wolves want to do on both ends of the court and has since bounced back from that Saturday afternoon in Montevallo. The senior comes into this weekend's rematch averaging 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game on 52% shooting on the season, and is the reigning GSC Player of the Week after a stellar three-game stretch last week where he averaged 23.3 points and 9.7 rebounds on 64% shooting.

Other than Fisher, someone that the Falcons struggled to stop in their first meeting with the Wolves was Zawdie Jackson as the point guard finished with 19 points and four assists. This comes to no surprise as all 16 teams that West Georgia has faced has struggled to contain Jackson as he still sits second in the league in scoring and assists with 20.8 points and 5.3 assists per game.

Jackson and Donatlan are a nightmare for opposing teams to defend, but UWG has always looked for someone to step up as a consistent third scorer and Marlon Smith fits perfectly in that role. Smith has all of the tools to be one of the best scorers in the conference as the wing's elite level shot making skills make him a tough assignment for any defender. Smith performed at a high level to begin the season and has returned to that level as of late as the junior comes into Saturday's game averaging 13 points and 5.3 rebounds on 50% shooting in the last four games off the bench.

As for Montevallo, the Falcons still possess one of the best offenses in the GSC as they rank third in scoring with 82.2 points on 45% shooting. Their point guard, Cameron Glover, runs the show as he leads their team in assists with 3.1 per game while sitting second in scoring with 15.6 points per game. During Montevallo's current three-game winning streak, Glover is playing the best basketball of his career as he comes into this weekend averaging 21.0 points on 45% shooting and 38% from three in those three games.

The Falcons' leading scorer, Jaylen Curry, has missed the last four games, putting his status for Saturday's matchup into question. In his absence, freshman Brandon Fussell has stepped up in a big way for Montevallo as the guard is averaging 26.3 points and 5.3 assists in the last three games, including a 27-point, five-assist, and four-rebound performance in the Falcons' upset win over West Alabama. The backcourt duo of Glover and Fussell has quickly become one of the best backcourts in the conference, making for an entertaining matchup between West Georgia's star-studded backcourt of Jackson and Donatlan.

"The Fussell kid is playing as good as anyone in the country right now," coach Moore continued. Glover, Fussell, and Henderson combined for 60 of their 77 points in their win over West Alabama, so they're playing really well right now."

Tip-off for Saturday's rematch is set for 4:00 p.m. inside The Coliseum.