VALDOSTA, Ga. - The No. 19-ranked Valdosta State men's basketball team will look to bounce back with a road weekend matchup against Shorter Friday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. in Rome, Ga.
 
VSU (6-2, 6-2 GSC) heads on the road after dropping both of its game last weekend against Lee University by scores of 70-82 and 74-77. The Blazers will look to break its two-game losing streak, as Valdosta State hasn't lost three straight games since the 2015-16 season. Over the weekend, the Blazers were led in the scoring column by senior guard Burke Putnam who averaged 19.0 ppg and totaled seven rebounds. Senior Imoras Agee led the team in rebounds with 11 to go along with his 11.0 ppg.
 
Valdosta State struggled to take control offensively as Lee was able to lead for the majority of both matchups. Along with the struggles offensively, the Blazers gave up 13 three pointers and a .545 field goal percentage over the course of the weekend compared to its .468 percentage from the field.
 
With both losses, the Blazers moved down in both National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II rankings and Division II Sports Information Directors Association (D2SIDA) rankings. The Blazers now find itself at 19 in the NABC rankings, with Gulf South Conference schools Alabama Huntsville ahead at 14 and Lee and West Alabama receiving votes. As for the D2SIDA poll, Valdosta State dropped to 20 with Alabama Huntsville at eight and Lee at 18.
 
Shorter enters the week with a 1-4 record overall, losing its last four games after winning its season opener against West Georgia 75-70. The Hawks are led by senior Charles Botchway who averages 20.6 ppg, going 39 for 81 (.481) from the field with 13 threes. Freshman Jaden Dunham leads the team in total rebounds with 30 for an average of 6.0 rpg to go with his 8.0 ppg.
 
The Blazers faced the Hawks just a few weeks ago, winning both matchups during its Jan. 8-9 games in Valdosta, Ga. The Blazers beat out the Hawks 99-85 with help from redshirt junior Cam Hamilton and Agee who both dropped 20 points. The Blazers rolled as it got the lead early on and didn't give it up. The Blazers handed Shorter its second loss on the weekend just a day later with a score of 86-70. Valdosta State was led by redshirt sophomore Jakari Gallon who recorded his first career double-double from a career high 17 points and game high 12 rebounds. The only time the Blazers trailed during the game was when the score showed 2-0 which was quickly matched by a three to give the team the lead for the rest of the game.
 
Led by fourth year head coach Wade Anderson, the Hawks are shooting .455 from the field while going .307 from deep to average 74.2 ppg, a -7.8 scoring margin to its opponents. The Hawks struggle on the glass, averaging 34.0 rpg while giving up 39.4 for a -5.4 margin. Shorter ranks second to last in the GSC in defense as the Hawks give up 82.0 ppg, just 2.5 ppg from the worst in the league. On the offensive end, the Hawks rank fifth with its 74.2 ppg where the Blazers lead the GSC in offense with its 84.3 ppg.
 
The Blazers have won the last 10 games against the Hawks, dating back to a 93-76 win Jan. 9, 2017, in Rome, Ga. During that span, the Blazers have outscored the Hawks 995 (99.5 ppg) - 817 (81.7 ppg). Valdosta is 6-2 when playing inside the Winthrop-King Centre in Rome, Ga. and averages 93.9 ppg while allowing 83.8 to Shorter on the road. The team's largest margin of victory came last season on Feb. 7, 2020, with a final score of 118-83, a season where the Blazers outscored the Hawks by 48 points after a 92-79 victory a few weeks beforehand. Against the Hawks, the Blazers longest losing streak was two games which was during the 2014-15 season, losing in overtime at home and then losing by 12 on the road.
 
Agee, the Blazers leading scorer, ranks sixth on the GSC leaderboard in average points per game with 18.0 and in three-point field goal percentage (.468). Hamilton ranks fourth in three-point percentage at .480 along with an eighth place rank in field goal percentage at .518. Gallon and Agee are tied for third on the GSC rebound leaderboard with their 48 total rebounds.
 
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