VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State men's basketball team raced out to a torrid start and saw UWA battle back to take the lead at halftime, but a strong second half propelled the Blazers to a 96-84 victory Saturday afternoon.
 
VSU improved to 12-6 overall and 8-4 on the year and won its fourth-straight game, while UWA fell to 13-3 overall and 9-3 in league play.  The win snapped UWA's seven-game winning streak.  The Blazers had five players in double figures led by a game-high 24 points from sophomore Caden Boser tying his season-high as he was a season-best 9 of 14 from the field with one triple and 5 of 5 from the line, while recording four rebounds, two blocks and one steal.  Senior Jacolbey Owens added 20 points and narrowly missed a double-double with eight assists in the game as he was 7 of 14 form the field.  Maurice Gordon added 16 points on 5 of 10 from the field, 3 of 7 from distance and 3 of 3 from the line with five rebounds and three assists.  Senior Cam Hamilton and senior Mohamed Fofana each had 13 points in the game.
 
The Tigers were led by 18 points from Justin Allison on 5 of 14 from the field, 3 of 9 from deep and 5 of 6 from the line leading four players in double figures.  Shardarrion Allen added 15 points on 6 of 13 from the field and three triples, while Kuran Garner added 14 points and 11 rebounds and Thaddeus Williams added 12 points off the bench.
 
The Blazers came out on fire immediately going on a 15-3 run capped off by a shot from downtown courtesy of graduate student Maurice Gordon with 14:59 left to go in the half. The Tigers may have been down but not out for long as a tough layup from Marvin Price began a 10-0 run for West Alabama to bring the Tigers within one, making the score 20-19 Blazers with 9:56 left in the half.
 
VSU and UWA would go on to trade buckets back and forth as there were 13 lead changes in the first half alone. The first half was controlled by the dominant presence of UWA's rebounding ability as the Tigers outrebounded the Blazers a staggering 27-8 with 18 of UWA's rebounds being on the offensive end for the first half. However, the Blazers were able to hang in the game thanks to their solid scoring ability going 20 of 30 from the field behind sophomore Boser's 15 first half points. UWA held a 49-48 lead at the break.
 
Both teams came out of the half locked in a stalemate before a pair of treys from Gordon and Hamilton gave the Blazers a little breathing room for a 60-55 score with 15:38 left in the half. Another significant moment came around 13:36 left in the half as a "hoop and harm" from Fofana gave Valdosta State a 68-62 lead.
 
The Blazers would build off of these momentous plays stretching the lead to 15 with 8:28 to go in the game after a steal from Fofana led to an open trey from Hamilton as the Blazers led 83-68.  UWA cut the deficit to seven twice late in the game, but could get no closer as VSU made its free throws down the stretch for the 96-84 victory.   
 
VSU shot 58.3 percent from the field on 35 of 60, while it was 9 of 23 from distance and 17 of 20 from the line, including 15 of 18 from the stripe in the second half alone, while UWA was just 4 of 7 from the line in the final stanza.  UWA finished 31 of 77 from the field for 40.3 percent, while it was 9 of 26 from beyond the arc and 13 of 16 from the line.  The most staggering statistic in the game was rebounding as UWA held a 48-27 lead on the boards, including a 27-7 lead in offensive rebounds for a 30-12 advantage in second chance points.  The game saw 14 lead changes.
 
 
The Blazers will be on the road next week in two Gulf South Conference matchups, facing off with Shorter at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Lee at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.