VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Blazers fell to the Auburn Montgomery Warhawks on Saturday afternoon, as AUM shot an exceptional 13-24 from beyond the arc despite 27 team fouls to keep VSU faithful at bay at The Complex. Valdosta State drops to 6-7 overall and 3-6 in conference play.
 
AUM opened scoring 16 of the first 22 points for a 16-6 lead through the first five minutes of the game.  The Warhawks opened 6 of 13 from the field and a blistering 4 of 6 from distance, while VSU was just 2 of 8 from the field and 0 of 2 from beyond the arc.  Jalen Gaston's driving layup pushed the lead to 18-8 with 13:25 remaining in the half for the visitors.  
 
The Warhawks continued the strong start pushing the lead to 28-12 on a jumper from Gaston for his ninth point of the game with 9:07 to play in the half.  AUM opened 11 of 23 from the field, while VSU was just 4 of 15.  The Warhawks forced VSU into nine turnovers early for a 9-5 lead in points off turnovers to that point.  Graduate student Sam Martin hit the first triple for the Blazers on a step back for a 30-17 deficit and junior Braxton Williams scored on a layup for a 30-19 deficit with 6:39 left in the half.  Williams then hit two charity tosses for a 32-21 deficit and 5:46 remaining.  A steal from senior Lee Flenor and two foul tosses cut the margin under ten at 32-23 with 5:04 to play in the half.  
 
The Blazers would trim the deficit to under ten again on two free throws from graduate student LaTrell Tate with just over four minutes remaining in the first half at 34-25.  The Warhawks would have the answer, however, as Jalil Robinson buried the fifth triple of the half for a 37-25 lead with 2:40 on the clock and then a layup from Malachi Rhodes pushed the lead to 39-25 and a timeout by the Blazers for a quick 5-0 spurt.  A steal and triple from Gaston pushed the lead to 42-25, but graduate student JC Clausi answered with a triple at the other end.  Flenor hit one of two free throws with 48 seconds left and a 42-29 score, followed by a timeout by the Warhawks.  A turnover and a missed triple by the Blazers at the buzzer ended the half with AUM leading by 13 at 42-29.
 
For the half, VSU was just 8 of 28 from the field (28.6%), while it was just 2 of 9 from deep and remained within striking distance, going 11 of 14 from the line.  AUM cooled off a bit to 16 of 35 from the field (45.7%), while the Warhawks were 6 of 13 from downtown and 4 of 4 from the line.  Clausi led the way with eight points for VSU, while Gaston had 12 points for AUM.  
 
The Blazers opened the second half scoring seven of the first ten points pulling within 45-36 with 17:18 to go, but AUM's Jelal Williams scored on the alley-oop and then a steal and triple from Travis Anderson pushed the lead to 50-36 with 16:52 to play.  The Warhawks hit their eighth triple of the game, stretching the lead to 53-36 and an 8-0 run with 15:53 to play.  Two free throws from B. Williams pulled VSU within 53-38 ending the run, but AUM scored six of the next eight points for a 59-40 lead with 13:57 to play as VSU had not made a field goal since the 18:15 mark.  Senior Mike Isler earned the "and one" for a 59-44 deficit with 13:45 remaining.
 
Flenor's 17^th point off a turnover by the Warhawks pulled VSU within 66-53 with 11:13 to play as the Blazers kept chipping away.  Later, Clausi scored his tenth point of the game on a dunk following a steal by graduate student Jay Rucker for a 72-60 deficit with 8:39 to play and a timeout by the Warhawks.  
 
A bucket from Isler off a steal from junior Caden Boser pulled VSU within 74-64 with 6:10 to play.  Boser then scored on a layup for his eighth point pulling VSU within eight, but a triple from Travis Anderson for his game-high 26^th point pushed the lead back to 11 for the Warhawks with 5:25 to play at 77-66.   VSU was unable to get closer than ten as AUM had the answer down the stretch each time for the victory.
 
Senior Lee Flenor had his best game since arriving in Valdosta for the Blazers, scoring a season high 22 points on 6-10 from the field and a season best 10 free throws on 15 attempts. The Miami, Fla. native also chipped in nine rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot.
 
As a team, Valdosta State attempted a season high 36 free throws, making 26 of them for a .722 clip. The Blazers shot 23-62 from the floor for a percentage of .371. From three, they made a mere four triples for a .235 clip. VSU was aggressive on the boards, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds, which resulted in 21 second chance points for the Blazers. This is their second most offensive rebounds in a game this season.
 
The Blazers close the home stand to begin 2024 on Monday at 5 p.m. at The Complex versus Montevallo.