KJ James LS
68
Webber International WEB 3-2, 0-1
104
Winner Valdosta State VSU 6-0, 0-0
Webber International WEB
3-2, 0-1
68
Final
104
Valdosta State VSU
6-0, 0-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Webber International WEB 37 31 68
Valdosta State VSU 55 49 104

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Blazers Torch Warriors 104-68 to Cap Off Thanksgiving Classic

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The No. 20 ranked Blazers of Valdosta State delivered another impressive offensive effort in a 104-68 non-conference win over Webber International in men's basketball action on Sunday afternoon at The Complex in Valdosta, Ga.

The Blazers enjoyed another balanced outing on the attack, as five different players reached double-digit figures in the scoring column. Junior Beau Justice paced the team with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and a 3-of-8 display from beyond the arc. The performance marked Justice's fourth game in which he has scored 20 or more points. His average of 19.8 points per game currently places him fifth in the Gulf South Conference. Justice did a little bit of everything in the game, adding three steals, five assists, five rebounds, and one block to round out his performance.

Valdosta State ripped off 35 points in the first ten minutes of the contest, all while allowing the Warriors to score just four buckets and two free throws for 11 total points. A drought ensued for the Blazer offense, however, which allowed Webber to string together a 19-6 run and pull to within 11 at 41-30 with 4:29 to play in the first half.

Winston Morgan helped right the ship though, with a timely three ball that sparked a 14-7 run in the final minutes of the opening frame for VSU and afforded the Blazers a 55-37 lead at the break.

"I thought our guys did a good job of refocusing after that lead shrunk," said Head Coach Mike Helfer after the win. "Webber is a much better team than how they played in the first ten minutes."

Valdosta State's offensive onslaught continued after the break, while the Blazer defense held Webber International to just 31 points on 11-of-34 shooting (32.4 percent) from the field in the second half. Furthermore, the Warriors were able to connect just once on 11 second half three pointer attempts in the final 20 minutes.

One of the brightest spots of the game for Valdosta State was the team's efficiency at the free throw line. In 31 attempts, the Blazers hit 26, which resulted in a 83.9 percent shooting effort from the stripe throughout the afternoon.

Jimmy Kodet and Clay Guillozet teamed up for 21 of Valdosta State's 52 rebounds in the contest, and each reached double-digit figures in both the rebounding and scoring columns. The double-doubles were the first of the season for both players.

"Rebounding is critical to winning in the GSC," stated Helfer in reference to his team's performance on the boards. "We have to focus on it every night, because we are smaller than most of the teams in the GSC."

The victory improved the Blazers to a perfect 6-0 on the season, while the Warriors slid to 3-2 overall.

"I like coaching this team, because they are unselfish," added Helfer. "Our guys have bought into team basketball quickly this year."

Valdosta State now turns their attention to the GSC, as the Blazers will open up the conference portion of their schedule with a 4:00 p.m. EST matchup on the road next Saturday in Pensacola, Fla. The contest can be heard live on www.talk921.com on the web and on Talk 92.1 FM in Valdosta.
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