VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Blazers of Valdosta State men's basketball offered up another strong defensive stand down the stretch to hold off Carver College on Thursday night in a 91-79 non-conference win at The Complex in Valdosta, Ga.
 
Valdosta State improved to 2-1 following the victory, while a pesky Cougar team out of Atlanta saw their record fall to 3-4 overall.
 
Shaun Jones and Justin Simon each posted 13 points, and both secured a double-double efforts with 14 and 10 rebounds, respectively. The pair's performance, along with a another solid offensive night for Jeremiah Hill, helped give the Blazers leverage and secure their second win in less than a week.
 
Valdosta State was able to overcome a poor shooting night at the free throw line (24-for-41) with strong shooting from the field. The Blazers buried just under 50 percent of the shots they took on the night in a 29-for-59 shooting performance and shot equally well from beyond the arc, particularly in the second half when the team made five out of ten attempts en route to nine total three balls.
 
Both Blake Justice and Chris Bilbo contributed with 14 and 12 points, respectively, and represented two of nine players to score in the game and two of five players to reach double-digit figures in the scoring column. Head Coach Mike Helfer's depth on the Blazer roster resulted in 28 points off the bench, and VSU surged when they needed to most with a 15-8 run during the final five minutes of the contest.
 
The score remained tight throughout most of the first half, and although the Blazers never trailed, the Cougars pulled to within two points at 26-24 with 6:32 to play in the opening period after a three ball by Carver guard Brannon Hopkins. Valdosta State retaliated, however, and pieced together a 19-11 run to cap off the first frame with a 45-35 advantage.
 
Carver never allowed the Blazers to run away with the contest and even closed the gap again to four points with just 4:29 remaining in regulation. Simon sparked the aforementioned run with a critical layup during the closing minutes, however, to help VSU seal the victory.
 
Perhaps the biggest boost for Valdosta State on the night came on the boards. The Blazers were able to produce a sizable advantage in the rebound column with 51 against Carver's 31. Coach Helfer stated after the game that he didn't feel as is his offense was firing on cylinders yet this early in the season, but 14 offensive rebounds for VSU allowed plenty of second chance opportunities, which the Blazers capitalized on with 16 points on putbacks.
 
Next up for VSU, it's a pair of games next weekend for the Blazers, beginning with Palm Beach Atlantic on Friday, November 27. Tip time is scheduled for 8:00 p.m., with live coverage available, as always, at www.vstateblazers.com.