HUNTSVILLE, Ala.- Valdosta State suffered another narrow Gulf South Conference loss on Thursday night after a late three from Greg Gardner broke a tie and led the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers to an 80-75 win over the Blazers.
 
With a 75-75 deadlock and just 14 seconds to play, Gardner connected for his only field goal of the night to give UAH a 78-75 advantage. Valdosta State got a clean look on their final possession for Jay Watkins, who was red-hot in the second half, but the potential game-tying shot went long and gave the Chargers a chance to extend their lead on a pair of free throws.
 
The nail-biting conclusion was made possible by a VSU offensive surge midway through the second half in which the Blazers overcame a 13 point deficit with a 22-3 run. Watkins provided the spark for Valdosta State during the stretch, scoring ten of the 22 points that helped the Blazers reclaim a 62-55 lead at the 8:14 mark. Watkins, who did not score a point in the first half and entered the contest with just one three pointer on the year, scored 14 points in the second half alone and buried 3-of-4 from long range.
 
Following the run, Alabama-Huntsville recollected to keep the contest close, and produced a late run over the course of the final three minutes, in which they outscored VSU 14-2.
 
Brandon Roberts fueled the Chargers, particularly in the second half, when he scored 18 of his team-high 23 points, and turnovers plagued Valdosta State throughout the contest, as 16 miscues led to 15 points for the opposition.
 
The Chargers struggled to find an answer for Blake Justice, who connected from long range on each of his five opportunities in the first half and finished the night with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field.The effort pushed the senior to within 34 points of the 1,000-point milestone, an achievement accomplished by just 21 other players in Valdosta State basketball history.
 
Following the defeat, the Blazers fell to 11-6 on the season and 7-5 in GSC play, while the Chargers held on to their tie at the top of the league standings with a 12-5 record, 9-3 against conference opponents.
 
Valdosta State returns to action on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. EST to face North Alabama in Florence, Ala. Live coverage will be available at www.vstateblazers.com.