VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's basketball team put together one of its best performances of the season for Senior Day with a 93-79 victory over visiting Union in the final regular season home game of the year.
The Blazers (17-9, 12-8 GSC) didn't disappoint on Senior Day as the team used a 33-10 run in the second half to pull away from the Bulldogs after Union had trimmed a 48-38 VSU lead at halftime to 53-51 with 16:49 to play. The Blazers made it rain from deep, going 16 of 39 from beyond the arc, while the team finished 37 of 81 from the field, while they were 3 of 6 from the line. Union shot 31 of 69 from the field for 44.9 percent, while it was 9 of 25 from distance and 8 of 10 from the line. The 16 made 3-pointers marked the second-most made in a game this season as VSU made 20 against Baptist (Fla.) earlier this season.
Prior to the game, the Blazers honored eight seniors who were playing in their final home game in a Blazer uniform on Saturday as the 2026 Senior Class included;
Michael Batchelor,
Ethan Pires,
Tony Green Jr.,
Maalik Leitch,
Lucas Brown Jr.,
MJ Jones,
Peter McKey and
Drew Mills. VSU Athletics would like to wish each of these seniors the best in their future endeavors.
Mills finished with a team-high 21 points on 10 of 18 from the field and 1 of 3 from deep, while he had four rebounds and one assist. Pires made his first career start and did not disappoint finishing with 20 points on 7 of 9 from the field, while he was 6 of 8 from distance to lead the team. Junior
Blaise Wallace added 13 points and Brown Jr., chipped in 11 points. Leitch had a career-high 14 rebounds and scored seven points. Union had four players in double figures led by 17 points and 11 rebounds from Terrence Ringo, Jr.
The Blazers came out firing on all cylinders building a 12-3 lead through the first five minutes and change of the game. Batchelor scored five of the first 12 points for the Blazers, while Brown Jr., had an early triple. Senior
Ethan Pires got into the 3-point act and pushed the Blazer lead to double digits with 13:25 to play in the first half for an 18-8 lead. McKey hit the Blazers' fourth triple for a 21-8 lead with 12:41 remaining in the half as VSU began the game 7 of 14 from the field, while Union was just 3 of 11 from the floor.
Union (10-16, 6-14 GSC) pulled within nine on a pair of buckets for a 21-12 score with 11:56 remaining in the half as Will Lovings-Watts earned the "and one". Union trimmed the deficit to six on two free throws from Lovings-Watts, but Pires hit his second triple and buckets from Mills and Wallace pushed the lead back to nine at 28-19 with 9:24 to play in the half. Union, once again pulled within five at 28-23 with 9:15 remaining in the first half.
Jones ended the run for VSU's first field goal in over two minutes for a 30-23 score and 7:29 to go in the half. Green Jr., drained a 3-ball for a 33-25 lead, but Lovings-Watts answered with a dunk and a foul on VSU. Another triple from Pires and a 3-pointer from Mills pushed the lead to 42-30 with 3:37 to play in the half.
The Bulldogs used a pair of 3-pointers from Devaki Garr and Mason McBride trimming the VSU lead to 42-36 with 2:29 to play in the half and a timeout by the Blazers. Buckets from Pires and Batchelor pushed the Blazer lead to 48-36 with 1:12 to play as Pires had 14 points in the opening half. Union added a bucket in the final seconds for a 48-38 score at intermission.
For the half, VSU shot 48.6 percent on 18 of 37 from the floor, while it was 9 of 20 from distance and 3 of 3 from the line. Union was 14 of 34 from the field, while it was 5 of 13 from beyond the arc and 5 of 7 from the line. VSU led by as many as 13 in the half as Pires was 5 of 5 from the field for the half and 4 of 4 from distance. Lovings-Watts had 11 points for the Bulldogs.
Union opened the second half on a 10-3 run pulling within 51-48 with 18:20 to play. McKey hit a big 3-pointer for a 56-51 score with 16:35 to play, after Union's Jamiir Allen had trimmed the Blazer lead to two on a 3-pointer of his own moments earlier. McKey then buried another from deep for a 59-51 score as the two triples began a 26-10 run capped with a layup from Wallace and a 79-61 score with 7:48 to play and a timeout by the Bulldogs. Out of the timeout, VSU stretched the lead to 86-61 before Allen ended the drought for the Bulldogs with a floater in the lane.
The Blazers close out the regular season next Wednesday and Friday at Auburn Montgomery and Montevallo, respectively, before awaiting where and when the Blazers will play in the Gulf South Conference Men's Basketball Championship quarterfinal round scheduled for Monday, Mar. 2.
