BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Following their eighth consecutive win in a 90-80 Gulf South Conference Tournament semifinal victory over Christian Brothers on Saturday night at Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Ala., the Valdosta State men's basketball team advanced to the 2017 GSC Championship game.
The Blazers (26-4) got off to a slow start early in the first half, scoring just six points during the first seven-plus minutes of the opening period. During that same stretch, the Bucs (18-12) opened up a 17-6 advantage.
Valdosta State came roaring back, however, and a 13-5 run for the Blazers over the course of the next six minutes trimmed CBU's lead to 22-19. From that point forward, the two teams traded blows throughout the remainder of the first half, leading to a 40-39 lead for CBU at the break.
In the second half,
Justin Simon opened up the scoring and gave VSU their first lead of the game with a layup within the first 20 seconds of the period. Adam Dieball returned the lead to the Bucs with a layup just seconds later, before Blazer guard
Josh Lemons answered with a jumper to put VSU in front 43-42.
Throughout the rest of the second half, the Blazer offense built on that narrow advantage with a 64.7 shooting percentage from the field and a 66.7 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. As a result, Valdosta State opened up a lead that increased to as many as 13 points late in the half. It was a lead that the Bucs could not overcome, and the Blazers used the strong shooting to hold CBU at bay the rest of the way.
Gulf South Conference Player of the Year
Jeremiah Hill led the way with 28 points on the night, and the senior notched his second straight double-double thanks to 11 rebounds in the game. Additionally,
Saadiq Muhammad, Lemons, and
Beau Justice joined Hill as double-digit scorers in the contest.
The appearance for Valdosta State in Sunday's GSC Championship contest will mark the Blazers' fifth all-time and the program's third under Head Coach
Mike Helfer. VSU will compete for their first-ever tournament title.
Tip time is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EST at Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Ala. and will follow the Lady Blazers' title showdown at 1:30 p.m. EST Sunday will mark the first time since 1983 that both the Blazers and the Lady Blazers will compete in the GSC Championship game in the same year.
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