VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's basketball team scored the first 15 points of the game and blew past visiting Florida Tech Sunday afternoon at The Complex, 108-75.  The Blazes had four starters in double figures and a pair of 20-point scores off the bench in the victory.  Senior Ethan Pires had a game-high 22 points. 

The Blazers (2-0) shot 52.6 percent from the field on 40 of 76 from the floor, while going 13 of 30 from distance (43.3%) and were 15 of 25 from the line.  Pires' 22 points marked a career-high as a Blazer as he was 9 of 14 from the field, 3 of 6 from distance and 1 of 2 from the line in 17 minutes of action.  Senior Maalik Leitch scored 20 points in his first game of the season on 7 of 10 from the field and a blistering 6 of 9 from distance with seven assists and two steals.  Junior Blaise Wallace tallied his second double-double of the season with ten points and 12 rebounds, while senior Drew Mills had 17 points in 20 minutes of action.  Senior MJ Jones added 12 points and seven assists, while junior Devon Rainey chipped in ten.   

Florida Tech (0-2) had four players in double figures, but just one starter with 15 points from Xavier Ford-Belton and he pulled down 13 rebounds.  Sterling White III added 13 points, while Logan Allen had 11 and Greyson Williams chipped in ten.  The Panthers shot 40 percent for the game on 28 of 70 from the field, while they were 10 of 35 from distance and 9 of 10 from the line.  VSU forced the Panthers into 30 turnovers and a 46-20 advantage in points off miscues.

Mills began the game with a triple sparking the 15-0 run to start the game and book ended it with a fast break layup with 16:20 left in the first half and a timeout by the Panthers.  Jones put VSU up 27-9 with 10:20 to play in the first half, but the visitors used a 10-2 run, pulling within 29-19 with 8:30 left in the half.  Florida Tech would pull within eight at 35-27 with 5:09 remaining, but a huge triple from Leitch started a 17-7 run over the final four minutes and change for the Blazers and a 52-34 lead at the break. 

The Panthers kept fighting and trimmed the deficit to ten at 55-46 with 16:48 remaining capped with a 3-pointer from Williams and Austin White later pulled Florida Tech within nine at 62-53 with a triple and 13:22 to go, but the Blazers used a 20-3 run over the next 3:41 for an 82-56 lead with 9:41 to play.  From there, the rout was on as VSU led by as many as 36 in the final minute for the 108-75 victory. 

VSU makes its first road trip of the season on Wednesday as it travels to Cochran, Ga., to face Middle Georgia for a 7 p.m. tip, before returning home to host Middle Georgia on Monday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m., in The Complex. 

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