MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Valdosta State men's basketball team fell victim to a remarkable second-half shooting effort by Christian Brothers, resulting in an 85-77 Gulf South Conference loss on Thursday night at Canale Arena in Memphis, Tenn.

The Blazers took control of the contest early and led throughout the majority of the first half, thanks in large part to the performance of Jeremiah Hill. The senior hit 5-of-8 attempts from the field during the first half and scored 13 of his 20 points in the opening period, which helped Valdosta State post a 51.6 field goal percentage from the field and outscore the Bucs 41-35.

The lead slipped out of Valdosta State's hands, however, during the first five minutes of the second half, when CBU came out firing and ripped off a 15-4 run to take a 52-45 lead. The Bucs used a series of critical three point shots and a host of timely offensive rebounds to thwart the Blazers' come-from-behind effort.

As a team, the Bucs shot 56.3 percent from the field in the second half and connected on nearly half of their three-point attempts to close out the final period with a 7-of-15 performance for 46.7 percent. Adam Dieball was held below his scoring average by the Blazer defense, but each of his two treys came at key moments in the second half. Furthermore, Joe Laravie was completely unconscious from the field, shooting well above his average with an 8-of-14 shooting performance from the field and a 6-of-10 display from the three-point line. Laravie, who entered the game with an average of fewer than seven points per game, finished with 27 points, a number that bested his previous season-high of 16.

For the Blazers, Jeremiah Hill posted 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting, and Damian Young chipped in with 16 points on a 6-of-11 night. In the second half, the Blazers shot an uncharacteristically low 20.0 percent from the three point line (3-of-15) and hit just 13-of-36 from the field for 36.1 percent. Furthermore, starting forward Saadiq Muhammad was forced to exit the game just five minutes into the second half after he was charged with his fifth foul.

The loss dropped Valdosta State to 6-2 overall and evened up the Blazers' record at 1-1 in GSC play. Christian Brothers improved to 6-3 overall and held firm to their league lead, now at 3-0 against conference opponents.

Valdosta State will close out the daunting road trip on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. EST in Jackson, Tenn., with another GSC matchup against the Bulldogs of Union University. Full coverage will be available right here at www.vstateblazers.com.