CLEVELAND, Miss. —
Valdosta State’s men’s basketball team used a 16-5 run in the second half to grab the lead en route to a 81-75 Gulf South Conference victory over Delta State on Thursday evening.
With the victory, VSU improved to 9-10 on the year and 2-6 in GSC play, while Delta State fell to 4-15 and 0-8 in league play.
Delta State jumped out to an early lead, scoring six of the first nine points of the game, before the Blazers used an 11-4 spurt to build a 17-13 advantage with 10:46 to play in the first half.
The Statesmen responded with a 14-2 run of their own to regain the lead for the remainder of the half.
After connecting on six of its first 14 field goal attempts, Valdosta State went cold the remainder of the half. The Blazers finished the first half just 12 of 31 from the field (38.7 percent). Much of the troubles for the Blazers came from beyond the three-point arc; VSU connected on just 4 of 14 trifectas, while also only hitting 4 of 8 free throws before halftime.
Meanwhile, Delta State only connected on five of its first 19 field goals, before finishing the half by hitting eight of its final 13 attempts. The Statesmen used the late shooting touch to claim a 39-32 halftime advantage.
After the Statesmen scored four quick points to open a double digit lead in the first minute of the second half, Valdosta State got back into the game with a 10-2 run, and closed to within three points, 45-42. Sidney Harris spurred the run, connecting on a pair of three-pointers on consecutive trips down the floor.
After turning the ball over just five times during the first half, Delta State struggled against the Blazer press in the second half, as it committed six turnovers during the first seven and a half minutes of the second half. VSU took advantage of the miscues, and eventually tied the game at 46-46 on a Josh Sparks three-point play with 12:12 left in the game.
The next four minutes saw three ties and three lead changes, as neither team was able to gain control of the contest. Harris continued his second half charge. He fed Michael Panaggio for a three-pointer to force the second tie and converted on a three-point play to eventually give VSU a 59-57 advantage with 8:05 to play.
Will Alston took over from there, scoring on three straight possessions to counteract a pair of buckets by Delta’s Marques Brown.
Harris led Valdosta State with 24 points, 21 of which came in the second half, while Alston added 16. VSU responded from the poor first half shooting to shoot 44.6 percent from the field (25 of 56).
Brown led Delta State with 29 points, making 11 of his 15 field goal attempts. Terry Leake added 12 points. The Statesmen shot 47.5 percent from the field while hitting 28 of 59 field goal attempts. Delta ended the game with 17 turnovers, 12 of which came in the second half.
Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, when the Blazers travel to Memphis, Tenn. to face No. 11 Christian Brothers. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. Eastern time.
Local Sports
Big second half leads Valdosta State to 81-75 win over Delta State
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Valdosta High runners going to South Georgia
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Posey’s homer lifts VSU in 11th
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