TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Valdosta State men's basketball team hung tough throughout most of the first half with Florida State in a preseason exhibition, before the Seminoles used a deep bench and some strong transition play to run away with a 104-76 victory in Tallahassee, Fla.
Fueled by an early and effective long-range shooting effort, the Blazers opened up a 12-8 advantage during the first five minutes of action.
Damian Young, who finished with a team-high 19 points in the contest, buried two three balls to start the scoring for VSU, and
Josh Lemons teamed up with
Jeremiah Hill to connect for two more three pointers and account for Valdosta State's first 12 points.
The Blazers traded buckets with the Noles and held an 18-17 advantage up until the 11-minute mark, when Xavier Rathan-Mayes escaped the VSU for a layup in transition. From that moment forward, FSU took control and ran away with the contest.
FSU Freshman Jonathan Isaac, regarded as one of the top recruits in FSU basketball history, led the way on offense for the Noles, scoring a team-high 20 points. Of the 12 Seminoles who made their way into the contest, each of them scored at least three points.
For Valdosta State, three additional Blazers joined Young with double-digit figures in the scoring column, including
Beau Justice with 13 and
Saadiq Muhammad with 11.
Valdosta State will officially open up their 2016-17 schedule on November 11, with a road matchup against Fort Valley State at 7:30 p.m. in Fort Valley, Ga.
