VALDOSTA, Ga. – Coming off a 2-0 weekend at the Gulf South Conference / Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Regional Challenge in Pensacola, Fla., the Valdosta State men's basketball team is set to open GSC play and the 2022-2023 home slate on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m., against rival Lee University. The Blazers then will welcome Shorter to Valdosta on Nov. 19 at 4 p.m., to complete the opening weekend of conference play.
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com. The games will be streamed live on vstateblazers.com with Spencer Van Horn, while they also will be broadcast on the radio on 94.3 FM/1150 AM WJEM Fox Sports Radio Valdosta and live online at www.foxsportsvaldosta.com with Mike Chason having the call.
The Blazers enter the week with a 2-2 record and picked up key regional victories over Fort Valley State, 85-58, on Saturday and rounded out the weekend with a win over Clark Atlanta, 80-60, on Sunday.
In the game against FVSU, the Blazers went 34 of 58 from the field, 7 of 20 from beyond the arc, and 10 of 13 from the free-throw line. The Blazers also recorded two blocks, 10 steals and 34 rebounds, including seven offensive, while forcing FVSU into 18 turnovers.
Senior guard Jacolbey Owens posted a team-high 23 points, eight assists and was a perfect 6 of 6 from the free-throw line while junior forward Jay Rucker went 8 of 10 from the field and 1 of 1 from beyond the arc for 18 points in addition to two thefts, three assists and five rebounds. Graduate guard Ryan Black posted 15 points, going 5 of 11 from the field and 5 of 11 from beyond the arc while seniors Mohamed Fofana and Maurice Gordon each had a team-high six rebounds. Fofana posted 14 points and Gordon had five.
Against Clark Atlanta, VSU shot 26 of 61 from the field and 6 of 22 from beyond the arc for a 42.6 field-goal percentage and a 27.3 three-point percentage. The Blazers went 22 of 26 from the charity stripe for an 84.6 clip, in addition to five blocks, seven steals, and 39 rebounds, including 14 offensive. The offense also scored 17 points off CAU's 13 turnovers and had 17 second-chance points while VSU's bench put up 16 points.
Fofana was 7 of 11 from the field and a perfect 5 of 5 from the free-throw line in addition to six rebounds, two dimes, a team-high 19 points, and three steals while Owens added 18 points, going 5 of 14 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line and led the team with six assists. Sophomore forward Caden Boser was the third Blazer to finish in double figures as he recorded 15 points along with seven rebounds and an assist. Rucker had a strong showing against CAU, picking up a team-high eight rebounds, a team-high three blocks and four assists in addition to four points.
The Flames will open the 2022-2023 season at Valdosta State on Thursday, as the team's only preseason game was an exhibition against Sewanee on Nov. 5, where the Flames won 86-60. This season, the Flames were picked second in the 2022-2023 GSC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 128 points and one first-place vote. Lee was selected just ahead of the Blazers who were picked third in the poll with 108 points.
In 2021-2022, the Flames ended the year with a 19-9 record and a 14-6 mark in the GSC. Lee defeated West Florida, 72-67 in the opening round of the GSC Conference Championship before falling to Union, 67-63 in the second round. VSU fell twice to the Flames last year including a 67-58 decision on Feb. 13 in Valdosta and a 68-61 loss on Dec. 13 in Cleveland. Currently, the Flames are riding a six-game winning streak against VSU dating back to the 2018-2019 season. Lee ended last season shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 33.5 from beyond the arc while averaging 73.6 points per game.
For the Hawks, who enter the week with an 1-2 record after a 73-64 victory over Trevecca Nazarene on Tuesday, will travel to West Florida to open league play Thursday, before heading East to Titletown for Saturday's matchup with the Blazers. Shorter fell to Lane College, 80-74, to open the season on Nov. 11, and lost at Tuskegee on Nov. 12, 64-52.
SU was picked 12th in the 2022-2023 GSC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 12 points after finishing last season with a 5-20 record and a 2-18 mark in the GSC. VSU defeated the Hawks 85-70 on Dec. 11 last year, while Shorter evened the series on Feb. 19 with a 74-70 win inside the Complex, snapping a 13-game skid against the Blazers dating back to the 2016-2017 season.
Through four games, the Blazers are shooting 44.8 from the field, 30.3 from beyond the arc and 72.7 from the free-throw line. VSU has also put up 133 rebounds, 38 thefts and 10 blocks while averaging 77.5 points per game and 33.3 rebounds per game.
Fofana leads the team in scoring, averaging 17 points per game while having 68 total points on the year. Fofana and Rucker each have 23 rebounds on the year while Rucker has eight offensive rebounds in addition to a team-high five blocks and Fofana has five offensive rebounds. Owens has recorded a team-high 25 assists on the year and also leads the team in steals with 10. Boser is averaging 13.8 points per game in addition to three steals, six assists, and 14 rebounds while redshirt senior Cam Hamilton has 35 points on the season along with 10 rebounds, four assists, and seven thefts.
Following the game against Shorter, the Blazers will host a non-conference game against Clinton College on Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. inside the Complex before the first GSC road contest against Delta State on Nov. 26 at 5 p.m. ET in Cleveland, Miss.
