VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's basketball team looks to snap a five-game skid at Alabama Huntsville on February 22 at 5 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for December 31, 2021 but was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.
The Blazers enter the game with an 11-14 record and a 7-11 mark in the Gulf South Conference while the Chargers enter the game with a 16-10 record and a 9-8 mark in the GSC.
Blazer junior guard Jacolbey Owens leads the scoring effort for the Blazers, putting up 14.9 points per game, while redshirt junior guard Cam Hamilton averages 13.1 points per game through 25 contests. Owens also is third in the GSC in assists with 98. Junior forward Michael Cole leads VSU's rebounding, averaging 6.8 rebounds per game, good for seventh in the GSC.
For the Chargers, Chaney Johnson leads UAH's scoring efforts, averaging 16.7 points per game while CJ Williamson leads the team's rebounding, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game. Williamson also has the eighth-best rebounding average in the GSC, just behind Cole.
The Chargers are coming off a 61-59 win over West Georgia on Feb. 19 in Carrollton, Ga. Max Shulman led the Chargers offensively on the afternoon as he scored 14 points after making three 3-pointers, and also grabbing four rebounds in the win.
Valdosta State is coming off a hard-fought battle against the Shorter Hawks on Saturday in the regular-season home finale. Hamilton had a game-high 25 points on 9 of 15 from the field, 3 of 7 from beyond the arc and 4 of 5 from the line leading three starters in double figures while juniors Mohamed Fofana and Owens each had 12 points.
On the year, the Blazers are averaging 79.7 points per game while their opponents are averaging 78.7 points per game. The team has a .457 field goal percentage, a .626 free throw percentage and a .362 three-point percentage.
For the Chargers, the team is averaging 81.4 points per game, while their opponents are averaging 71.2 points per game. The team has a .480 field goal percentage along with a .689 free throw percentage and a .347 three-point percentage.
The two teams previously met earlier in the season on Feb. 3, 2022, where the Blazers came away with an 87-71 win inside the Complex. Freshman guard Ricky Brown went 9 of 15 from the field and a career-best 7 of 13 from beyond the arc, while going 1 of 1 from the line tying his season-high set against Auburn Montgomery on Dec. 20, 2021. Cole finished 10 of 13 from the field, 5 of 7 from the line and pulled down 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season and fifth game of double-digit rebounds this season. Hamilton also had a great game 6 of 18 from the field, 4 of 14 from deep and 1 of 2 from the line.
UAH was 12 of 29 from the field for 41.4 percent, while it was 2 of 10 from deep and 4 of 6 from the line. VSU held a 22-12 lead in rebounding and both teams had six turnovers, with VSU leading 9-5 in points off turnovers. Johnson paced the Chargers with 12 points for the half, including 4 of 6 from the line.
Following the game against Alabama Huntsville, the Blazers will travel to Carrollton, Ga. to take on West Georgia for the final regular-season game of the 2021-2022 season on Feb. 26 at 2 p.m.
