VALDOSTA, Ga. – Blake Justice connected from long range a career-high seven times to help lift the Valdosta State men's basketball team to an 84-70 victory over the Mariners of Coastal Georgia on day two of the Holiday Inn Classic Saturday afternoon at The Complex in Valdosta, Ga.
 
The Mariners (4-6) took an early lead at the Complex after Dominic Early opened up the afternoon with a pair of jumpers during the first three minutes that put Coastal Georgia on top 4-2. Justice buried his first three ball at the 16:13 mark to put the Blazers on top, however, and Head Coach Mike Helfer's squad never looked back.
 
Valdosta State (4-1) continued to spread their lead throughout the remainder of the contest with a solid 50.8 percent (31-of-61) shooting effort, along with another strong rebounding performance. The Blazers snatched 35 rebounds against CG's 27, and VSU's 13 offensive boards resulted in a 17-4 advantage in the second chance points column for the red and black.
 
Justice finished 10-of-17 from the field and 7-of-11 from beyond the arc, resulting in a 27-point afternoon for the senior. The offensive outburst from the Peebles, Ohio native marked his highest point total in a single contest since November 17, 2013, when Justice poured in a career high 30 points against Carver.
 
Saadiq Muhammad helped fuel the victory for Valdosta State with his second straight double-digit scoring performance after shooting 7-of-8 from the field for an 87.5 percentage. In addition, Jay Watkins and Shaun Jones added 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Jeremiah Hill led all rebounders with six.
 
Valdosta State led by ten at the break and continued to pull away in the second half after Justice opened up the second half scoring with a three-point shot at the 18:56 mark. As a result of the team's 54.5 percent shooting from the field after halftime, the Blazers controlled the contest throughout the remainder of the second frame and led by as many as 20 points midway through the half.
 
Next up for Valdosta State men's basketball, the Blazers open up conference play against Head Coach Bobby Champagne and the rival Lions of North Alabama. The matchup is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. at The Complex, with live coverage available at www.vstateblazers.com. To keep up with all things Blazer basketball throughout the season, be sure to follow us on Twitter at (@BlazerAthletics and @VSUBasketball).