MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The Valdosta State men's basketball team closed the regular season Friday night with an 86-80 road loss to Montevallo in a back-and-forth Gulf South Conference battle at Central State Bank Arena.
With the loss, the Blazers moved to 18-10 overall and 13-9 in GSC play, while Montevallo improved to 21-7 and 17-5 in conference action.
The contest featured 16 lead changes and 13 ties, as neither team was able to create significant separation until the final minute. Montevallo held a narrow 45-42 advantage at halftime and edged the Blazers 41-38 in the second half to secure the six-point victory.
Blaise Wallace and
Drew Mills paced the Blazers with 15 points apiece. Wallace added a game-high 11 rebounds for a double-double effort, while Mills contributed six boards and four assists. Antonio Green provided 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the free throw line, and
Maalik Leitch came off the bench to score 13 points, knocking down three three-pointers.
Valdosta State controlled the glass, outrebounding the Falcons 49-39, including 20 offensive rebounds that led to 30 second-chance points. The Blazer bench contributed 30 points in the effort. However, VSU shot 37.0 percent from the field (27-of-73) and 25.0 percent from three-point range (9-of-36), compared to Montevallo's 47.1 percent shooting clip
Montevallo was led by Derek Moore's 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, while Brandon Fussell added 21 points and Jaylen Curry chipped in 12. The Falcons scored 44 points in the paint and added 17 points off turnovers.
The final minutes were tightly contested. Wallace drilled a three-pointer with 1:56 remaining to tie the game at 80-80, but Montevallo answered at the free throw line and with a dunk by Moore to regain control. The Falcons converted four free throws in the closing seconds to seal the 86-80 result.
Valdosta State will now turn its attention to postseason play as the Blazers face fourth-seeded UAH in the Gulf South Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Monday, March 2 in Huntsville, Ala.
