CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Valdosta State men's basketball team closed out the back end of a long road trip with a tough 72-67 loss to the Delta State Statesmen in Gulf South Conference action on Saturday evening at Walter Sillers Coliseum in Cleveland, Miss.
 
The Blazers, who took a nine-point, 38-29 lead at intermission thanks to a last second three ball by Chris Bilbo at the end of the first half, squandered the lead early in the second after being outscored by the Statesmen 12-4 over the first seven minutes of the period.
 
Valdosta State regrouped, however, and broke off a 12-5 run of their own to open their lead back up to 54-46, but the Statesmen took control from that moment forward with a deciding offensive surge that included 15 unanswered points.
 
VSU pulled back to within two during the final minute of the game, but the resulting 61-54 deficit from DSU's aforementioned offensive outburst was one the Blazers could not overcome, as Delta State put away their free throw attempts down the stretch to maintain their lead.
 
Four Blazers reached double digits in the scoring column, with Justice's 14 points leading the way. Chris Longoria added 12, while Jeremiah Hill and Bilbo added 10 each.
 
Devin Schmidt, the GSC's second-best scorer, carried the load for the Statesmen, scoring 37 points in the contest on 12-of-24 shooting and a 5-of-13 effort from the free throw line. The only other player to reach double digits in the scoring column was PJ Davis, who also secured a double-double after hauling in 10 rebounds.
 
With the loss, Valdosta State fell to 13-9 on the year overall and 9-8 in GSC play. Meanwhile, the Statesmen improved to 11-6 in league play and lifted their overall record to 16-7.
 
Valdosta State returns to action on Thursday at home against the Union Bulldogs with a tip time scheduled for 8:00 p.m.