VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's basketball team was unable to get the timely stops as it dropped a 100-92 decision to West Alabama on Thursday evening at The Complex in the Gulf South Conference opener for both teams.  Blazer junior Samarion Bond led four players in double figures with 23 points off the bench. 
 
The Blazers (4-2, 0-1 GSC) shot 29 of 70 from the field for 41.4 percent, while they were 4 of 17 from deep and 30 of 37 from the line, including 20 of 25 in the second half from the stripe.  Bond finished 9 of 14 from the field, 1 of 1 from deep and 4 of 6 from the line with eight rebounds, while junior Devon Rainey had 14 points, along with 13 points from senior Drew Mills and 12 points off the bench from senior Peter McKey. VSU finished with 41 rebounds and outrebounded the Tigers 41-32, including 22-8 in offensive rebounds and 21-10 in second chance points.  
 
UWA (5-1, 1-0 GSC) shot a blistering 61.1 percent for the game on 33 of 54 from the field, while it was 9 of 17 from distance and 25 of 34 from the line, including 19 of 25 from the stripe in the second half after going 6 of 9 in the first half.  Seven players were in double figures for the Tigers, led by 16 points from Elliot Tulip.  
 
The hot-shooting Tigers open the game scoring the first eight points with triple from BJ Brown and Caleb Parr with 17:47 to play.  The Blazers got on the board with a turnaround jumper from senior Drew Mills beginning a 5-0 run by the home team.  Junior Devon Rainey pulled the Blazers within 18-13 with a pair of charity tosses with 13:03 to play in the opening half.  
 
UWA would keep the Blazers at arm's length as VSU would trim the deficit, but each time the Tigers had the answer.  A senior Maalik Leitch 3-pointer pulled VSU within 26-23 with 9:50 to play, but UWA answered at the other end.  VSU pulled within 36-30 on an "and one" from junior Samarion Bond with 6:11 to play, but the Tigers continued their strong shooting and closed the half on a 15-9 run for a 51-39 lead at the break.
 
The Blazers shot 36.1 percent on 13 of 36 from the field, while they were 3 of 9 from deep and 10 of 12 from the line.  UWA shot 55.9 percent from the floor on 19 of 34, while it was 7 of 11 from distance and 6 of 9 from the line.  UWA held a 22-20 advantage in rebounding and never trailed in the half.  
 
A steal and layup from Elliot Tulip for his 16^th point of the game gave the visitors a 62-45 lead with 15:17 to play and a timeout by the Blazers.  Blazer senior Ethan Pires nailed a triple for a 70-60 deficit with ten minutes to play and a steal and layup from Bond pulled VSU back within nine at 73-64.  
 
Every time VSU looked as if it would chip away at the deficit, UWA had the answer as the Tigers pushed the lead back to 15 at 81-66.  VSU kept fighting, but just about every time down the court there was a foul called on either team.  Pires was fouled on a three-pointer and pulled VSU within nine at 87-78 with two minutes to play.  
 
The Blazers host No. 8 The University of Alabama at Huntsville on Saturday at 4 p.m. at The Complex.  Check back with vstateblazers.com for links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more.