PENSACOLA, Fla. - A late push by the Valdosta State men's basketball team came up short, as the West Florida Argonauts held off the Blazers for a 97-88 victory over the Blazers in Saturday's Gulf South Conference opener at the UWF Field House in Pensacola, Fla.

The victory improved the Argonauts to a perfect 8-0 start on the season, while the Blazers suffered their first loss of the season to fall to 6-1 overall.

West Florida led for most of the evening and extended their lead to as many as 12 points with under eight minutes to play in regulation. The Blazers remained resolute, however, and used the next five minutes to whittle away at the Argonauts' lead. Valdosta State pulled to within two points after a Winston Morgan layup at the 2:25 mark in the second half, but UWF managed to hold off the surging Blazers long enough to score at the 1:08 mark and open up a two-possession, 90-86 lead. The Argonauts used free throws down the stretch to hold VSU at bay.

Tyrone Sam delivered another solid outing for the Blazers with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and a 7-of-8 night from the free throw line. In addition, Winston Morgan added 16 points, thanks to a 4-of-6 effort from beyond the arc.

Darryl Tucker, who leads the UWF squad in both scoring and rebounds, was the difference maker for the Argonauts. The forward poured in 27 points after a nearly perfect 11-of-12 shooting effort from the field. Furthermore, Moter Deng added 22 points, 10 of which came from the free throw line.

The Blazers now turn their attention to Tuesday night, where the team will welcome Tuskegee to Valdosta for a 7:30 p.m. showdown at The Complex.