MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Valdosta State Blazers won their fourth consecutive game on Saturday evening in a 100-97 thriller over the Auburn Montgomery Warhawks. Junior Caden Boser and senior Mike Isler each scored 20 points in the hostile environment. The Valdosta State Blazers improved to 12-14 (9-13 GSC) on the season while the Warhawks dropped to 11-16 (8-15 GSC).
 
Jalen Gaston led all scorers with 33, as the Warhawk guard shot 13-20 from the field and 5-11 from distance. The Blazers had a balanced scoring effort, as five players scored in double-figures. Mike Isler dished out a career high eight assists, as he also shot a perfect 7-7 from the floor to finish with 20 points on the night. Talking about efficiency, Boser was also very effective for VSU, shooting 7-10 from the floor and 5-7 from downtown. 100 points was the most scored in Gulf South Conference play and the most since Nov. 18.
 
Graduate student LaTrell Tate started things off with a mid-range jumper off the assist from Boser to lead 2-0. Graduate student Jay Rucker swatted a shot on the defensive end and was rewarded with an open look from three as VSU quickly got out to a 5-0 lead. Jalen Gaston got the Warhawks on the board at the 17:29 mark with a three to make it 5-3. Rucker retaliated, splashing his second three of the game to make it 8-2 in favor of the Blazers. AUM hit three straight threes on their next three possessions to jump out to a 11-8 lead with 15:31 left in the half.
 
It was a battle on both ends, as buckets were coming easy for both squads. Boser muscled one inside for an "and one" to give VSU an 18-17 lead. Fresh off the bench, junior Braxton Williams knocked home two-point jumper to grow the lead to three with 12:39 on the clock in half number one. A 8-2 run by Valdosta State over a minute and half help grow the lead to seven and senior Lee Flenor got a jumper to go in the paint on the assist from Mike Isler that forced an Auburn Montgomery timeout.
 
Coming out of the break, the Blazers jumped out to a 36-25 lead off a Mike Isler steal and layup with 6:40 left in the first half. The Warhawks would hit 14 threes on the night, as they knocked home their fifth of the first half to cut the deficit to single digits. Graduate student JC Clausi scored four straight to make it a 42-30 lead as they approached the under four-minute media timeout.
 
LaTrell Tate poked the ball away and slammed it home on the other end to put the pressure on AUM, who responded with yet another three ball and a layup at the buzzer to head into the locker room, with Valdosta State leading 49-44. The Blazers shot 20-36 from the floor and 5-12 from three in the first half, as they were clicking on all cylinders to lead by five.
 
Jay Rucker started the second half like he started the first, knocking home a three from distance. The Atlanta, Ga. native made a season-high three makes from downtown on just three attempts. VSU was able to grow the lead to 12 with 15:33 left in the game, as AUM punched back with a dunk and a three to cut into that lead and gets the fans into play.
 
 Caden Boser silenced the crowd with a three on the assist from JC Clausi to stay up 66-55 with 13:54 left in the game. LaTrell Tate hit his signature jumper to keep VSU up over AUM heading into the under-twelve media timeout. Out of the break, the Warhawks knocked home four straight free throws and splashed home a three and all of a sudden it was a two-point game. An empty possession by the Blazers led to yet another three from Auburn Montgomery, as Jalen Gaston's three put AUM up one, 71-70.
 
With 9:54 left, Boser drilled a three to but VSU back on top, 73-71. The Warhawks stuck to their plan, and came back with a three and a dunk to go up four before Isler hit a two-point jumper to cut the Warhawk lead to two. Valdosta State fouled Auburn Montgomery's Travis Anderson on a three pointer, the guard would go and make all three to grow the lead to five with 6:56 left in the contest.
 
The Warhawks led by as much as seven, as they led heading into the final media timeout, 91-84. Coming out of the timeout, LaTrell Tate knocked home two free throws to make it a five-point game. On the defensive end, Tate got in the passing lane and got to the line again, making two more to make it a one possession game with 2:45 left. Tate kept playing aggressive, as he recovered his missed shot and made a circus layup with his right hand to cut it to one as the clock hit two minutes. A turnover from Malachi Rhodes led to Jay Rucker cutting inside, as he laid one in to give the Blazers a one-point lead and force a Warhawk timeout with 1:03 left.
 
Out of the timeout, Jalen Gaston laid one up off the glass inside to retake the lead. Valdosta State took their time on the next possession, and it led to a Caden Boser three in the left corner off a beautiful pass from Mike Isler to put VSU up two over AUM with 34 ticks left. A suffocating Blazer defense led to a heave from Auburn Montgomery's Travis Anderson, as Valdosta State would go on to make five of their last six free throws to seal the 100-97 win over GSC foe Auburn Montgomery.
 
With the win, the Blazers stay half a game back from Union for the final spot in the GSC postseason tournament. The Blazers host Alabama Huntsville and Auburn Montgomery next week at The Complex to wrap up the regular season.