VALDOSTA, Ga. – West Georgia used an 8-1 run midway through the second half to grab the lead as the Wolves defeated Valdosta State 85-83 in Gulf South Conference men's basketball action at The Complex Saturday evening.
 
West Georgia (19-7, 14-7) led through much of the first half as it scored the first three points of the contest and eventually built a 27-17 advantage. The Wolves made eight of their 15 field goal attempts and six out of seven free throw attempts during the span. Valdosta State (9-18, 4-17) battled as it made seven of its 15 attempts.
 
After falling behind by 10 points, the Blazers fought back as they used a 12-2 spurt to even the game at 29-29 with 6:51 to go in the first half. Jay Watkins opened the run with a three-pointer before Josh Lemons added a fast break lay-up. Following a pair of free throws for the Wolves, Colin Cook added a basket and Jeremiah Hill hit a jumper before Blake Justice evened the game with a three-pointer.
 
After the fast start to the game, West Georgia cooled off offensively as the Wolves made only four of their final 16 shots of the half. Meanwhile, Valdosta State made 10 of its final 19 as it built a 46-43 halftime lead.
 
The first 10 minutes of the second half proved to be back and forth as the lead changed hands seven times while there was one tie. The final change of the lead came with 10:57 remaining in the contest as Deontre Brwon hit a lay-up. The basket began an 8-1 run by UWG that saw the Wolves build a 71-65 advantage with 8:57 remaining in the game.
 
Valdosta State answered with the next five points of the game, including a three-point play by Cook that got VSU to within a point a minute later, but West Georgia responded with a 5-0 run of its own to once again open a six point lead.
 
The Blazers got back to within three, at 78-75, when Lester Moore made a three-pointer with 3:02 remaining, but got no closer as they made just two more baskets, a pair of threes by Justice, and a pair of Justice free throws the rest of the game while West Georgia made five of six free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.
 
Cook led VSU with 15 points while Spencer and Justice scored 13 each. Watkins added 12 and Moore 11 as Valdosta State made 29-of-68 to shoot 42.6 percent from the floor. VSU also made 14 of its 19 free throws and had 20 assists.
 
Deonta Stocks led West Georgia with 25 points while Brown added 20 points and Zach Taulien add 14. UWG shot 45.8 percent from the floor as it made 27-of-59 attempts and owned a 43-35 advantage in rebounds in the contest.
 
Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, February 28 when it closes out its season by hosting West Florida at The Complex at 8:00 p.m.