VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's basketball team is set to conclude its four-game homestand with Union on Dec. 11 at 4 p.m., Christian Brothers on Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. for military appreciation and Palm Beach Atlantic on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. inside the Complex. The Blazers enter the week with a 6-4 record and a 3-2 mark in the Gulf South Conference and sit tied in sixth in league play with Auburn Montgomery.
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 will also be broadcast on the radio in Valdosta on 92.1 WDDQ FM and www.talk921.com with Mike Chason having the call.
The Blazers are coming off a hard-fought 88-76 loss to conference leader West Georgia in the Red Clay Rivalry series on Dec. 1. In the game, the Blazers shot 27 of 62 from the field for 43.5 percent, while going 8 of 23 from deep for 34.8 percent and 14 of 20 from the line. All five starters for the Blazers finished in double figures as sophomore forward Caden Boser led the way with a season-high 24 points on 8 of 14 from the field while going 4 of 7 from deep and 4 of 4 from the line and senior forward Mohamed Fofana finished with 20 points on 8 of 15 from the field and 4 of 6 from the line. Junior forward Jay Rucker had 12 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of his Blazer career. Seniors Jacolbey Owens and Maurice Gordon each had ten points as Gordon finished with nine rebounds and Owens had eight assists.
On the year, the Blazers are shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 37.6 from deep and 69.6 from the free throw line. The team averages 86.3 points per game and has recorded 353 rebounds, 167 assists, 93 steals and 42 blocks. The team leads the GSC with a 1.46 assist/turnover ratio, good for 16th nationally, scoring offense, and steals per game.
Individually, Owens leads the GSC in free throws with 44 made out of a league-high 60 attempts while Fofana leads the league in field goals with 66 out of 111 attempts. Senior guard Cam Hamilton has recorded a league-high 19 thefts while Owens has a team-high 66 assists, good for second in the GSC. Fofana also leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.8 points per game while Rucker has a team-high 17 blocks and Gordon has a team-high 65 rebounds.
Union enters the week with a 5-4 record and a 4-1 mark in the GSC and is coming off a 69-63 win over West Florida on Friday. The Blazers have lost the last two meetings with the Bulldogs as UU won a 112-86 decision last season. VSU's last win against Union came in the 2018-2019 season where the Blazers won 92-76 inside the Complex. The Bulldogs currently sit third in league play and are shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from deep and 72.9 from the free throw line in addition to averaging 66.5 points per game, 37.5 rebounds per game, 49 thefts and 36 blocks.
Tylandrius Parks leads the team in scoring, averaging 20.1 points per game while Boe Nguidjol has a team-high 74 rebounds and 16 blocks. Juston Debuck leads the Bulldogs with 31 assists on the year and a team-high 11 thefts
The Buccaneers enter the week with a 1-6 record and a 1-3 mark in the GSC and are coming off a 68-59 loss against Indianapolis on Dec. 6. The team will take on West Florida on Dec. 11 in Pensacola, Fla. before making the trip to TitleTown on Dec. 13. VSU has won four of the last five meetings with CBU as the Blazers fell 81-74 on Jan. 20, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. and picked up a 79-61 win on Nov. 23, 2019, on the road.
As a team, CBU is averaging 66 points per game, 34.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 45.9 percent from the field, 38 percent from beyond the arc and 61.3 from the free throw line. The team also has recorded 105 assists, 34 steals, and 17 blocks. Individually, Madison Monroe leads the offense, averaging 14.7 points per game while Nick Deifel has 44 rebounds, Kam Vick has a team-high 26 assists and Aiden Ruthsatz has a team-high seven steals.
For Palm Beach Atlantic, the Sailfish enter the week with a 4-2 record and a 1-2 mark in the Sunshine State Conference. The team will take on No. 3 Nova Southeastern on Dec. 10 and Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 13 before taking on the Blazers on Dec. 15. The Blazers have won three of the last four meetings with the Sailfish as VSU picked up a close 72-71 win on Nov. 27, 2021, at PBA.
The team is averaging 80.5 points per game, 35 rebounds per game and have shot 49.2 from the field, 39.6 from the field and 70.7 from the free throw line. The Sailfish have recorded 21 blocks, 49 steals and 210 rebounds on the year.
Individually, Will Lee leads PBA in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game and a team-high 31 assists. Jalen Cooper has 41 rebounds and seven blocks to lead the team while Marcus Montalvo has a team-high 14 steals.
Following the slate of home games, the Blazers will round out 2022 at West Florida on Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. ET and Auburn Montgomery on Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. ET. After New Year's, the Blazers will travel to Montevallo on Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. ET and will return to the Complex to host Alabama Huntsville on Jan. 5 at 8 p.m.
