VALDOSTA, Ga. – After a quality 69-59 win at West Alabama on Saturday, the Valdosta State men's basketball team returns home to host Mississippi College and Delta State, Thursday and Saturday, respectively, at The Complex.
 
Th Blazers are 10-3 on the year and 4-2 in Gulf South Conference play and will host the Choctaws at 8 p.m. on Thursday, before entertaining Delta State Saturday at 4 p.m.  Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming of the games at vstateblazers.com on the men's basketball schedule page.  The games also will be broadcast on 92.1 WDDQ FM with Mike Chason having the call.
 
In the win at West Alabama, VSU battled back from a slow start for a 32-30 lead at intermission.  The Blazers then used a 21-3 run to start the second half for a 53-33 lead with 11:58 remaining.  UWA pulled within 57-49 with 6:12 left, but VSU quickly responded pushing the lead back to double-digits.  Senior Darrell Jones had a game-high 19 points on 7 of 12 from the field, with a triple and four free throws, along with seven rebounds leading four Blazer starters in double figures.  Senior Clay Guillozet scored eight points for 1,002 career points and he eclipsed 500 career rebounds in the game (506).  Guillozet became the 24^th Blazer to achieve 1,000 career points in program history. 
 
In the polls this week, Alabama Huntsville is 13^thin the NABC Top 25, while the Chargers are receiving votes in the D2SIDA Top 25, marking the only Gulf South Conference team to be in either top 25 poll.  The Blazers are seventh in the South Region Top 10 by D2SIDA this week, as Lee is fifth and UAH is sixth, while Montevallo and West Alabama are tied for tenth in the region top ten.  Nova Southeastern leads the region top ten this week as it took over the top spot from Embry-Riddle, who fell to fourth. 
 
In the GSC standings, Montevallo is the lone unbeaten team in league play with a 6-0 record, holding a one game lead over Lee.  UAH and VSU are tied for third at 4-2, while UWA and Delta State are 3-2.  Union sits at 3-3 this week rounding out teams .500 or better in conference play.
 
The Blazers enter the week as the top scoring team in the GSC at 86.7 points per game for 28^th nationally.  VSU 29^thnationally in scoring margin at 12.7, while the team is 23^rd nationally in blocks (61) for second in the league.  The Blazers lead the league in offensive rebounds per game at 13.46 for 24^th nationally and are first in the league in rebounding at 41.4 rebounds per game for 23^rd nationally.  VSU is 44^th in the country in steals (112) for second in the league, while leading the conference in turnover margin at 3.3.  The Blazers lead the league in turnovers at just 12.3 per game for 48^th nationally.  
 
Jones is 34^th nationally and third in the conference in defensive rebounds per game at 6.7, while he is 23^rd nationally and second in the league in double-doubles with six.  Guillozet is 37^th nationally and leads the league in offensive rebounds at 3.23 per game, while he is seventh in the league in scoring at 15.7 points per game to lead the team.  Jones leads the team in rebounding at 9.6 per game for 24^th nationally and first in the league.  His 125 rebounds is good for second in the league in 24^th nationally.  
 
Mississippi College enters with a 6-6 record overall and a 2-4 mark in conference play.  The Choctaws snapped a three-game skid with a 79-69 victory over Shorter on Saturday.  MC enters averaging 68.8 points per game and allowing 67.8 per contest.  The Choctaws are shooting .422 from the field on 288 of 682 and are 67 of 188 from beyond the arc for a .356 clip.  The team is 182 of 271 from the line (.672), while averaging 39.3 rebounds per game (58^th nationally and second in the league) and allowing 36.2 per contest. 
 
The Choctaws are eighth nationally in blocks per game at 5.2 to lead the conference, while the team is 36^th in defensive rebounds per game at 28.67 for second in the league.  They commit the fewest fouls in the league with 192 for 53^rd nationally.  MC is holding teams to a .404 percentage from the field for the 16^th-best field goal percentage defense in the country and third in the league. 
 
Individually, MC is led by Winceton Edwards, who is averaging 12.9 points per game.  He is 44 of 110 from the field (.400), while draining a team-high 19 triples and is 48 of 58 from the line (.828), as he is second in the GSC in free throw percentage.  Winford Ross is second in scoring at 12.0 points per game.  He is a team-high 52 of 104 from the field (.500) and is second in rebounding at 7.5 per game.  Ross is sixth nationally in total blocks with 35 and fifth in blocks per game at 2.92, as both lead the conference.  Zach Jones leads the team averaging 7.7 rebounds per game. 
 
The Blazers have won the last six meetings in the series and the Choctaws won four prior to that.  VSU leads the all-time series 19-17 since Jan. 10, 1983.  VSU has won the last three home games versus MC, including a 106-90 decision on Feb. 14, 2019. 
 
Delta State enters the week with a 7-6 record overall and a 3-2 mark in the GSC.  The Statesmen have won three-straight games heading into the week and will play at West Florida Thursday, before heading to Valdosta. 
 
The Statesmen are led by Airen Brooks who leads the team averaging 16.1 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per contest.  He is 69 of 143 from the field (.483) and 23 of 55 from beyond the arc.  He is third on the team in steals with 11.  Keyshaun Street is second in scoring at 15.0 points per game.  Street is 65 of 156 from the field, while he has drained 25 triples for second on the team and leads the team at 40 of 55 from the line (.755).  Street is second in assists with 37 and second in steals with 13.  Anderson McCoy is third in scoring at 11.5 points per game, while Austin Laatsch leads the team with 27 treys and is fourth in scoring at 8.8 per game.  
 
As a team, the Statesmen are shooting .430 from the field on 324 of 753, while going 114 of 337 from beyond the arc (.338) and 162 of 247 from the line (.656).  DSU is averaging 34.2. rebounds per game, while scoring 71.1 points per game.  Conversely, teams are shooting .447 against DSU, .316 from beyond the arc and .675 from the line.  The opposition is averaging 40.6 rebounds and 75.7 points per game.  
 
Nationally speaking, Brooks is third in defensive rebounds at 8.5 per contest to lead the GSC.  He is 23^rd nationally and second in the league in double-doubles with six, while he leads the league in rebounding for 10^th nationally and first in the league at 10.4 per game.  
 
The series with Delta State is tied at 24 as DSU won the last meeting in the GSC semifinals last season, 70-69, on Mar. 9, in Birmingham, Ala.  VSU won the meeting in Valdosta, 90-74, while DSU won in Cleveland, Miss., 88-83.  The Statesmen have won four of the last six and six of the last ten in the series.