VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Blazers put on a show in their 2023-2024 home opener, beating the Clinton Golden Bears by a score of 108-90 on Thursday night at The Complex. Junior Caden Boser lit it up for the Blazers, scoring 26 points on 10-16 shooting and 5-9 from downtown.
Valdosta State and Clinton started off by trading baskets, as both teams were determined to get the ball inside. A quick 4-0 run by the Golden Bears caused head coach Mike Helfer to call a timeout, trailing 8-4 at the 16:50 mark. The Blazers made a starting lineup change tonight, moving graduate student Sam Martin to the starting guard spot, and he made his moment count. He went on to hit a clutch three, trimming the lead to one at 10-9 on a post-pass from his former UMKC teammate in Boser. Martin would finish the night with 12 points, five assists and two steals.
Later in the period, a 7-0 Golden Bear run forced a VSU timeout at a score of 16-9 with 14:11 remaining in the half. The Blazers kept battling though, never letting the lead reach over the 10-point mark, as they continued to wait for their opportunity to strike. Sure enough, VSU got their chance, going on a massive 15-2 run over a four-minute stretch, holding the Golden Bears to no made field goals. Valdosta State ended up taking a 42-34 lead following a short jumper from graduate student LaTrell Tate with a little under three minutes left till halftime.
The Blazers were able to get out to a lead thanks to their offensive rebounding and bench production. For the evening, VSU outrebounded Clinton College 55-29, with 21 of those rebounds coming on the offensive end. Valdosta State went into halftime with a 46-41 lead.
Coach Mike Helfer lit a fire under the Blazers at the half, as the team came out of the break determined to grow their lead in front of a ruckus Blazer Nation crowd. Graduate student Jay Rucker got things started in the half, throwing down a two-handed slam on a slick assist from Boser. The Atlanta native finished the game with 14 points, nine rebounds, and a block in 21 total minutes of action. Titletown turned into a dunk contest as Boser threw one down on a dime from Tate the very next possession, followed by another one from Rucker on the next Blazer possession. Clinton then swiftly called a timeout with the Blazers leading 54-47 at the 17:52 mark.
Coming out of the break, the bench was looking to get active, as Senior Mike Isler showed his versatility, attacking the glass and getting to the line off an offensive rebound. Isler would finish the night with 20 points, eight boards, four assists, and seven made free throws. All of this while playing 23 minutes off the bench.
Valdosta State kept playing with physicality, pounding the ball inside, which allowed the shooters to get open. Overall, VSU shot 7-17 (41.18%) from three in the second half. Senior Lee Flenor also posted double-digit scoring from the bench, chipping in 11 points, eight rebounds (three offensive), and a steal.
VSU kept extending their lead little by little, leading 76-62 with just over 10 minutes left. The Blazer lead got as high as 19, with Junior Jack Wetzel hitting a step-in three from the right wing on a marvelous pass from graduate student J.C. Clausi to lead 87-68 just under the eight-minute mark.
The Blazers would secure the victory in the end, knocking off the Golden Bears 108-90, improving to 2-1 on the young season. Meanwhile, the Bears drop to 4-3 as they are now 0-2 against VSU all-time.
Up next, The Blazers are looking to stay hot at the Complex as they take on Trinity Baptist College on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. For more information on Blazer basketball, visit vstateblazers.com.
