VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State Blazers took an early lead and never looked back in a 79-65 victory over the Christian Brothers Bucs in Gulf South Conference action on Saturday at The Complex in Valdosta, Ga.

Beau Justice ignited the Blazers (20-4, 15-3 GSC) less than one minute into the game with a three-pointer from the right wing. The long range shot accounted for three of Justice's team-high 21 points in the game and gave VSU a lead they never relinquished throughout the rest of the contest.

"We're the type of team, that once we see one go early, that really gets us going," said Justice after the win. "I was lucky enough to hit that three, and that got the crowd into it early as well. Once the crowd started going, I knew we were going to take off and have a good start."

In front of a crowd of over 2,000 people, the largest of the year, the Blazers led by as many as 19 in the first half and opened the lead up even further to a 20-point advantage after a close-range shot at the 15:36 mark in the second half by Saadiq Muhammad, who closed out with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and a 4-of-5 effort from the charity stripe.

The big lead was more than enough for the Blazers down the stretch, thanks in large part to a 52.3 percent shooting display in the second half, during which the Blazers buried 18 shots on 34 attempts.

Justice finished 6-of-13 from the field, with all six of those field goals coming from beyond the arc. The sophomore added three free throws and was helped out along the way on offense by both Muhammad and Josh Lemons, who connected on six shots from the field for 12 points in the game.

Valdosta State controlled the ball and valued possessions effectively all night long. Head Coach Mike Helfer's squad issued just five turnovers on the night, which helped the team negate a strong effort by the CBU (14-10, 11-7 GSC) reserves, who teamed up for 23 points off the bench.

The win marked VSU's 20th of the 2017 season and set the stage for the year's most anticipated matchup next Thursday, as the Blazers travel to Huntsville, Ala. for a battle against Alabama-Huntsville. The two teams are currently tied atop the Gulf South Conference standings and will tipoff on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST. Live coverage of the game will be provided at www.vstateblazers.com