TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Valdosta State Blazers fell to the Florida State Seminoles in an exhibition game on Sunday afternoon at Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Fla.
 
The Blazers outrebounded the Seminoles 44-42 in a physical matchup. Graduate student LaTrell Tate led the Blazers in scoring with 15 points and dished out four assists versus the long and athletic Florida State team. Junior Te'Derrius Williams made a significant contribution from the bench in his first game for VSU, logging 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 26 minutes of play. The Blazers shot 42% (27-64) from the floor and 25% (7-28) from three. The Seminoles shot 42% (34-81) from the floor and 31% (9-29) from beyond the arc.
 
The Blazers came out playing with urgency and fight, with Tate hitting an early three to start the Blazers out with a 3-0 lead. The Seminoles cam swarming back on 5-0 run capped off by a dunk from Jamir Watkins, on the other end, junior Caden Boser hit a deep top of the arc three to give the Blazers a 6-5 lead heading into the first media timeout.
 
Out of the break, junior Braxton Williams hit senior Mike Isler on a backdoor cutter where he slammed it home to extend the lead 8-5. The Blazer defense was keeping the Seminole offense in check, holding them to 3-14 shooting and 0-6 from behind the arc at the second media timeout, with Valdosta State leading 12-9.
 
After the second media timeout, Florida State came out with aggression and physicality, forcing three Blazer turnovers and turning those into six Seminole points, as Florida State took a 15-12 lead, forcing head coach Mike Helfer to take a quick timeout. Florida State was able to inch ahead with a 19-14 lead following a four-point play from Baba Miller.     
 
Later in the half, Isler sparked the Blazer offense with an electrifying dunk in transition as he scored four-straight for VSU. Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton was forced to call a quick timeout with his team leading 28-20.
 
Down the stretch, Valdosta State outscored Florida State 5-2 to cut into the lead, making it 30-25 in favor of the Noles. A couple of triples from the Seminoles at the end of the half helped push Florida State to a 36-29 lead heading into the break.
 
Florida State kicked off the second half with two quick threes and forcing four turnovers to balloon the lead to 52-36 heading into the first timeout. Turnovers proved to be an issue for the Blazers, as they committed five turnovers in the first eight minutes of the second half as Florida State extended their lead 63-42. The Blazers kept fighting with the long and athletic Seminole defense, but to no avail as Florida State continued to hit tough shots. With under eight minutes left, junior Jack Wetzel hit two threes to help fuel a Blazer 12-2 run over a three minute period, cutting into Florida State's lead, 82-59. Both teams went back and forth to finish off the game, with the Seminoles leaving victorious 90-67.
 
The Blazers will head to Atlanta next weekend for their season opener versus Fort Valley State on Nov. 10 and Clark Atlanta on Nov. 11. The Blazers will host their home opener at The Complex on Nov. 16 versus Clinton College at 7 p.m.
 
For all updates regarding Blazer basketball, visit vstateblazers.com