VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State put their offensive firepower on display yet again on Saturday afternoon with a 99-82 Gulf South Conference win over North Alabama in Valdosta, Ga. at The Complex.
The game featured 18 lead changes, 10 of which came in the second half. Valdosta State flipped a switch at the 7:21 mark, however, and two Saadiq Muhammad free throws triggered a sprint to the finish during which the Blazers outscored the Lions 32-14. The powerful finish for the Blazer offense marked one of their most impressive runs of the season and was anchored by solid free throw shooting that helped cap off a 91.9 percent (34-of-37) shooting effort at the stripe.
"We've been able to make free throws we need to make free throws," said Head Coach
Mike Helfer after the game. "They are an important part of every game, and if we are going to get those opportunities, we're going to have to continue to convert."
Guards
Beau Justice and
Josh Lemons fueled the attack on the afternoon and finished with 22 and 20 points, respectively. Justice connected on 6-of-10 from the field and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, which helped lead the Blazers to a 54 percent (27-of-50) shooting percentage from the field and a 55 percent (11-of-20) shooting effort from beyond the arc.
Additional factors that played into Valdosta State's success included a lock down on UNA's perimeter shooting, as well as a tremendous rebounding performance. The Blazers held the Lions to just 18.5 percent (5-of-27) from long distance, and VSU outrebounded UNA 42-17.
"One of the big differences in this game for us had to be rebounding," added Helfer. "When you outrebound somebody by 15, that's a significant difference. I was really proud of our guys for putting an emphasis on that part of our game today, and that's something we've been really trying to focus on for several games now."
The Blazers turned the ball over 22 times in the contest, but the team made the necessary adjustments and cut down on the turnovers dramatically late in the contest. That factor, combined with 17 second chance points and 30 points in the paint, helped lead Valdosta State to their second straight GSC win.
With the victory, the Blazers improved to 8-2 overall and 3-1 against GSC opponents, while the Lions dropped to 6-4 and fell to 1-3 in league action.
The Blazers return to the floor on Monday night at 8:00 p.m. with another huge conference matchup against the visiting Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville. Tip-time is slated for 8:00 p.m. at The Complex.
