Blazers down Statesmen Saturday night
Nov. 28—CLEVELAND, Miss. — Behind two Blazers recording double-doubles, the Valdosta State men's basketball team won a hard-fought battle, 73-64, against Delta State Saturday night on the road. The Blazers improved to 6-3 on the year, 3-0 in the Gulf South Conference and extended their winning streak to six games, while the Statesmen fell to 0-5 on the year and 0-3 in the GSC.
As a team, the Blazers went 25 of 47 from the field (53.2%), 6 of 19 from deep (31.6%) and 17 of 33 from the free throw line (51.5%). The Blazers also added 28 rebounds, 19 assists, three blocks, and nine thefts. VSU recorded 22 points off of 20 Statesmen turnovers, 15 fast break points, 19 bench points and seven second-chance points
The offense was led by graduate student Ryan Black, who put up 14 points in the game in addition to four rebounds, and a steal. Senior guard Jacolbey Owens and graduate student Maurice Gordon each recorded double-doubles as Owens put up 11 points in addition to 10 assists to lead the team, two rebounds and four thefts and Gordon, with his second-straight double, recorded 10 points, a team-high 10 rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.
Sophomore forward Caden Boser recorded 13 points during the game, going 4 of 6 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free throw line in addition to four rebounds, a steal and an assist. Junior forward Jay Rucker was the fifth Blazer to score in double figures as he recorded 11 points, shooting 5 of 10 from the field, 1 of 6 at the free throw line and recording six rebounds, an assist, a team-high two blocks and two thefts.
For the Statesmen, DSU was led by Sam Smith who recorded a team-high 15 points and 10 rebounds. Wyatt Bell recorded a team-high five assists and was the second player to finish in double figures while Jonathan Knight led the team in thefts with three while putting up five points.
As a team, DSU shot 23 of 64 from the field (35.9%), 11 of 33 from deep (33.3%) and 7 of 10 from the free throw line (70%). In addition, the Statesmen recorded 33 rebounds, 13 assists and five steals.
The Blazers wasted no time building a 10-6 lead as a bucket by Gordon sparked a six-point run to begin the game. After DSU scratched back to come within one, 10-9, the Statesmen built a 17-14 lead with 13:12 left in the half. VSU regained the lead from a jumper courtesy of Fofana, 18-17, sparking another 6-0 run to build a 22-17 lead. Deep into the half, DSU went on a 7-0 run to build a 35-28 lead, as Owens made a layup with time expiring to send VSU to the locker room trailing 35-30.
The Blazers went 14 of 24 (58.33%) from the field, 1 of 9 (11.11%) from deep and 1 of 9 (11.11%) from the free throw line in the first half. VSU was led by Rucker, who put up six points in the first 20 minutes as Owens led the team with four assists and Gordon recorded six rebounds. The Blazers recorded 13 total rebounds, two blocks, four thefts and nine assists.
Out of the locker room, a jumper from DSU gave the Statesmen a seven-point lead, 37-30 but a layup from Rucker and treys from Black allowed the Blazers to tie the game at 39. Another trey from Black and Fofana allowed the Blazers to build a five-point lead, 50-45, but DSU stayed neck-and-neck with a layup to scratch back to 54-52.
Following two free throws by Boser, the Blazers went on a 6-0 run to build a 62-52 lead with 6:21 left in the game. Later, another layup from Gordon allowed VSU to keep its 10-point lead, 66-56, but DSU fought back to 67-61 following a pair of free throws. The Blazers ended the game with four made free throws from Owens, Gordon and Rucker to take the game 73-64.
The Blazers are back in action Monday, taking on Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss., at 8:30 p.m. ET, before beginning a four-game homestand starting with West Georgia on Dec. 1 at 8 p.m., inside The Complex for the Red Clay Rivalry series.
Shane Thomas is the sports editor at the Valdosta Daily Times.
