VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's basketball team returns to the road as it travels to West Georgia and Shorter for a pair of key Gulf South Conference games this week.  VSU is scheduled to face West Georgia Thursday at 7:30 p.m., while battling Shorter Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com on the men's basketball schedule page.  The games also will be broadcast on 92.1 WDDQ with Spencer Van Horn have call of both games.  Check back with vstateblazers.com following the games for complete stats and a recap of each contest.
 
The Blazers are 16-5 overall and 9-4 in conference play as they sit tied for fourth in the league standings with Alabama Huntsville.  West Alabama leads the league standings with an 11-3 record, while Christian Brothers and Delta State each are 10-4. Union sits behind VSU and UAH with a 9-5 record, while Lee is 8-5 in league play.
 
West Georgia enters the week with a 12-9 record overall and a 7-6 mark in league play.  UWG has dropped its last two games and four of five with its lone win being an 82-79 home victory over Christian Brothers (Jan. 26). Prior to the 1-4 streak, UWG had won five of six, including an 87-86 victory at Valdosta State on Jan. 17.  Shorter is 2-19 overall and 0-13 in league play as the Hawks have lost 16-straight games.  
 
The Blazers avenged a 67-65 loss at Montevallo with a 75-70 win over the Falcons in Valdosta a week ago. In the win, senior Beau Justice tallied a team-high 19 points on 7 of 14 from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Justice's four triples moved him into a tie for 10^thall-time in GSC history with 231 career 3-pointers. Junior Clay Guillozet added 16 points on 7 of 12 from the field and 2 of 3 from the line, while junior Darrell Jones added 12 points off the bench.  VSU held a 20-7 lead in points off turnovers, forcing 17 Falcon miscues, while the rest of the stat lines were pretty similar.  
 
For the season, the Blazers are shooting at a .492 clip on 683 of 1389. VSU is 205 of 539 from beyond the arc (.380) and 313 of 416 (.752) from the line.  The Blazers are averaging 37.9 rebounds per game, while allowing 34.8 per contest.  VSU is averaging 89.7 points per game and allowing 77.0 per game.
 
Justice leads the team in scoring at 21.5 points per game.  He is a team-best 160 of 323 (.495) from the field, while going 56 of 131 (.427) from beyond the arc for second on the team and is a team-best 76 of 91 from the line (.835).  He has 72 to lead the team and is second in steals with 21.  Guillozet is second in scoring at 13.1 points per game and leads the team averaging 6.1 rebounds per game.  Guillozet is 101 of 204 from the field (.495) and sits third in triples made with 28.  He is 45 of 62 from the line (.726), while ranking third on the team in assists with 41 and second in steals with 24.  Senior Winston Morgan is third in scoring at 12.5 points per game, while leading the team from range on 67 of 158 for a .424 clip.  He is 84 of 197 from the field (.426) and is 27 of 33 from the line (.818). Morgan is second on the team in assists with 66.  Fourth in scoring is Jones at 11.5 points.  He is 95 of 184 from the field (.516) with 11 triples and is 41 of 56 from the line (.732).  He is second in rebounding at 5.8 per game.  
 
Nationally speaking, the Blazers rank 11^thnationally and second in the conference in assist/turnover ratio at a 1.62 clip, while ranking 13^thin assists per game at 17.9.  VSU is 25^thnationally and first in the conference in turnover margin at 3.7. VSU is sixth nationally in scoring offense at 89.7 points per game to lead the league, while ranking 24^thnationally in field goal percentage (.492) and 34^thin fewest turnovers with 231.  The Blazers are 17^thnationally in scoring margin to lead the league at 12.7, while ranking 11^thnationally in total assists with 375.  
 
Individually, Morgan ranks 19^thnational in 3-point field goals made (67), while he is 38^thin 3-point field goal attempts (158).  He is 51^stin 3-point field goal percentage at 42.4. Justice is 27^thnationally in points per game (21.5), while ranking 48^thin 3-point field goal percentage (42.7).  He is 29^thin total field goal attempts (323), 23^rdin field goals made (160) and 22^ndin total points 452. 
 
Last time out against West Georgia, the Blazers battled back from as many as 17 down, but came up just short in an 87-86 loss at The Complex in the first meeting this season. Guillozet rallied the team in the second half and got within one possession with 1:08 left, before a frantic final minute pulling within one at the buzzer.  VSU shot 49 percent for the game, but had an uncharacteristic 17 turnovers as UWG held a 22-6 lead in points off miscues.  VSU responded with a win over Shorter, two days later in a 93-82 win behind Jones' career-high 22 points.  Junior Bryce Smith tallied a double-double against the Hawks.  Jones went 9 of 15 from the field and 4 of 6 from the line as the Blazers dominated SU in the paint, 64-30.  VSU shot .571 from the field for the game.
 
Following the week, the Blazers return home to host Mississippi College and Delta State next week at The Complex.