VALDOSTA, Ga. – Behind six players in double figures, the Valdosta State men's basketball team posted a 106-88 victory over visiting Auburn Montgomery on Saturday afternoon for Senior Day.
 
The Blazers improved to 18-10 overall and 14-8 in Gulf South Conference play, while AUM fell to 14-13 overall and 12-11 in GSC play.  VSU was led by a career-high 25 points from junior Jay Rucker as he was a perfect 10 of 10 from the field, 2 of 2 from deep and 3 of 3 from the line.  Rucker pulled down five rebounds as he earned Guardian Bank Blazer Player of the Game honors.  
 
Along with Rucker, sophomore Caden Boser and junior Cam Selders each had 11 points off the bench, while senior Jacolbey Owens scored 16 points on 5 of 7 from the field, one triple and 5 of 6 from the line, along with nine assists, one block and three steals.  Graduate student Ryan Black finished with 15 points – all from beyond the arc and senior Cam Hamilton added ten points.  
 
As a team, VSU shot 53.2 percent from the field on 41 of 77, while it was 14 of 32 from distance and 10 of 18 from the line.  The Warhawks were 33 of 72 from the field, 8 of 24 from beyond the arc and 14 of 18 from the line.  Jalen Gaston had a game-high 31 points off the bench on 11 of 23 from the field, 4 of 11 from deep and 5 of 6 from the line.  Roderick Smith had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Joseph Lanzi scored 17 points and James Graham also had a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.  
 
Prior to the game, VSU honored five seniors playing in their final regular season home game for the red and black.  The 2023 senior class included Black, Mohamed Fofana, Maurice Gordon, Hamilton and Owens.  Best of luck to these outstanding student-athletes in their future endeavors.
 
In a game VSU never trailed, Black broke a 4-4 tie with a triple, followed by a trey from Owens for a 10-4 lead with 16:33 left in the first half.  AUM pulled within 12-8 with 15:09 to play in the half, but back-to-back long ones from Boser and Black pushed the lead to 18-10 with 14:23 to go.  Rucker continued his strong start with back-to-back buckets and an "and one" for a 25-13 lead moments later.  VSU continued its offensive onslaught as junior Mike Isler scored inside for a 35-13 lead with 9:44 to go in the half.  Including Black's triple early in the game, VSU outscored AUM 31-9 to that point.
 
Smith scored inside off a steal for the Warhawks as they wouldn't go away quietly for a 40-25 score with 5:30 to go in the half.  VSU would stretch the lead back out to 20, but AUM used triples from Gaston and Lanzi trimming the deficit to 49-35 at the break.
 
AUM came out of the gates in the second half and narrowed the deficit to 11 at 56-45 with 17:09 to go.  The Blazers had the answer, however, as triples from Black and Hamilton put VSU up 16 again at 64-48 with 15:43 to play.  AUM, once again, used a rally and cut the deficit to nine at 66-57 with 13:41 to go, but VSU answered with a triple from Rucker and a jumper from Selders for a 71-57 score moments later.  
 
A 3-pointer from James Graham pulled AUM within nine again at 76-67 with 10:49 to go, but the Blazers scored six-straight points pushing the lead back to 15 as AUM was unable to get it under double figures the rest of the way.  
 
The 106 points marked the sixth time this season VSU eclipsed the century mark and the fifth in GSC play.  The Blazers are 5-1 this season when scoring over 100 points.  
 
VSU closes out the 2022-23 regular season schedule with a pair of contests next week at West Alabama and Alabama Huntsville.  The Blazers have clinched a spot in the GSC postseason tournament, but whether the "Super Tuesday" game on Feb. 28 will be a home or road game is still to be determined.  Check back with vstateblazers.com for further updates.