CARROLLTON, Ga.- The Valdosta State men's basketball team thrived in a hostile environment at The Coliseum in Carrollton, Ga. to wrap up a perfect road trip with a 79-70 over the rival Wolves of West Georgia in Gulf South Conference action on Thursday night.
 
The Blazers opened up the contest with a bang after outscoring the Wolves 13-0 over the course of the first three-plus minutes. From that moment forward, the Wolves matched the Blazers throughout the rest of the opening half but struggled to cut into VSU's lead. Damian Young paced the Blazers in the first half with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, and Valdosta State took a 45-36 lead into intermission.
 
Beau Justice kicked off the second period with a backside tip-in to give Valdosta State a double-digit advantage within the first minute, but the contest took a shaky turn for the Blazers during the ensuing minutes. Valdosta State was unable to connect for the next five minutes, and West Georgia used the opportunity for a 12-0 run. As a result, UWG took their first lead of the game at 48-47 at the 14:27 mark.
 
Justice quickly broke VSU's offensive silence on the next possession with a three-ball to reclaim the lead for the Blazers, which led to a series of lead exchanges between the two teams. Jeremiah Hill sparked VSU's decisive run at the 9:41 mark, however, and gave the Blazers a 58-57 advantage with a jumper in the paint. Although the Wolves kept the game fairly tight, Valdosta State slowly extended their lead and did not relinquish it for the remainder of the contest.
 
Despite 19 turnovers in the game, the Blazers managed to overcome the slight by outrebounding the Wolves 51-33. More importantly, the red and black was able to use 17 offensive rebounds to score 19 second-chance points.
 
Justice served as the leading scorer for the Blazers with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, while Saadiq Muhammad, Hill, and Young also reached double-digit figures with 16, 15, and 12 points each, respectively.
 
With the win, Valdosta State remained near the top of the conference standings and improved to 11-3 overall, 6-2 in league play. Meanwhile, West Georgia fell to 7-7 overall and 3-3 against GSC opponents.
 
The Blazers now turn their attention to a highly anticipated return home on Saturday, when VSU will host West Alabama at The Complex. The game will tip at 4:00 p.m., following the conclusion of the Lady Blazers' matchup against UWA.