VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State men's basketball team continues Gulf South Conference play this week with a two-game road trip to Mississippi, opening with a Thursday night matchup at Delta State at 8:30 p.m. ET before, closing the trip Saturday afternoon at Mississippi College at 5:30 p.m. ET.

There will be no radio broadcast of the games this weekend on 94.3 WJEM FM.  

Valdosta State comes into the weekend holding a 14-8 overall record and  a 9-7 record in Gulf South Conference play, after two huge wins versus Lee University and Trevecca Nazerene last week. The Blazers are entering this road trip looking to improve its position in the GSC standings and build consistency away from The Complex.

The Blazers battled back from ten points down with over seven minutes remaining in the 113-104 overtime victory over Trevecca Nazarene on Saturday as head coach Mike Helfer won his 400th game at the helm of the Blazers.  Senior Peter McKey was named Steel's Jewelry Blazer Athlete of the Week for his efforts in the wins over Lee and TNU last week.

Helfer, who is in his 21^st season at the helm of the Blazers, improved to 400-206 and became just the second coach at VSU to win 400 games in his career as former Blazer head coach James Dominey finished 436-343 in 29 seasons.  Helfer is 586-289 all-time in 29 seasons of coaching between VSU and Southern Poly Technical College.  

McKey scored a career-high 33 points on 10 of 17 from the field, 4 of 8 from deep and a perfect 9 of 9 from the line leading five players in double figures.  Junior Samarion Bond finished with 21 points on 7 of 14 from the field, while he was 3 of 5 from deep and 4 of 5 from the line.  Senior Maalik Leitch scored 21 points off the bench on 8 of 14 from the field, while he was 1 of 6 from deep and 4 of 4 from the line.  Junior Blaise Wallace finished with 19 points and a VSU career-high 15 rebounds, while senior Lucas Brown Jr.,  had 11 points and one made 3-pointer coming in the overtime session.  It was Wallace's team-leading tenth double-double of the season and the sixth in a row.   

Thursday's matchup with Delta State marks the second meeting of the season between the two programs, while Saturday's contest against Mississippi College closes out the Mississippi trip and offers a chance to finish the road swing on a high note.  VSU won 90-72 over Delta State on Jan. 4, in Valdosta, and is looking to even the season-series with Mississippi College after the Choctaws won 103-89 in Valdosta on Jan. 2.

Leading the way for the Blazers this season is senior Drew Mills who is averaging 17.3 points per game on 148 of 292 from the field.  He is 15 of 55 from deep and 70 of 90 from the line, while averaging 5.6 rebounds per game.  Wallace is second in scoring at 13.1 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 9.1 per contest. McKey is third in scoring at 12.1 points per game and leads the team with 32 made 3-pointers on the year, while Brown is averaging 11.7 points per game.  

In their last game, Delta State (9–13, 6–11 GSC)  earned a hard-fought 97–90 double overtime victory over Union University on Tuesday night in Gulf South Conference play. Je'Marion Westbrook led the way with 29 points and seven rebounds, going 11-of-13 from the free-throw line, while DaCory Porter added 26 points and eight rebounds in 48 minutes. Brendan Braddix contributed 21 points, and Phillip Hughes grabbed 10 rebounds to help Delta State win the battle on the boards.

Mississippi College (10-13, 7-10 Gulf South) is coming off a victory versus Christian Brothers, where Josh Holman led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Phil Nelson added 21 points on an efficient 10-of-12 shooting, including the game-winning layup with four seconds remaining. Avaughn Johnson contributed eight points and 10 rebounds as Mississippi College dominated the paint and edged out the one-point win. 

Looking at the GSC standings, West Alabama and Montevallo already have clinched spots in the conference tournament as UWA is 15-2 in league play and Montevallo is 13-4.  West Florida sits third at 11-5, while UAH is a half game back at 11-6.  TNU is fifth at 10-7, followed by the Blazers at 9-7.