RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. —
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — The Valdosta State Blazers are going to the Elite Eight!
Valdosta State’s men’s basketball team earned the school’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight on Tuesday night. The Blazers defeated Rollins 71-58 to win the South Region tournament at Tucker Coliseum.
Valdosta State claimed its 28th win of the year, against just four losses, and established a new school mark for wins in a season. Rollins fell to 27-6.
On Tuesday, Valdosta State started off hot, making five of its first six shots. Marvin Dibble opened the scoring with a pair of jumpers from the baseline, and added a free throw to the end of the second jumper to complete a three-point play. Ricardo Lewis added a 3-pointer for VSU, but Alex Castillo answered with a trifecta for Rollins. Dibble added his third bucket of the game.
Nick Wolf scored for Rollins, then Tristan Crawford ended the Blazers’ run with a 3-pointer to give VSU a 13-5 lead.
Rollins closed to within four points twice over the next seven minutes, only to have Valdosta State respond with buckets on its next possession.
The second time the Tars got within four, the Blazers answered with a 17-7 run, and grabbed their largest lead of the half, 39-25. Marquis Robinson began the run with a putback, then Kevin Harris sank a 3-pointer from the left wing. Nick Wolf scored for the Tars, but then VSU’s Ryan Nelson fed Robinson for a dunk.
A three-point play by Rollins’ Nikola Baran cut the VSU lead back to six, but Nelson answered with a 3 and Dibble, who scored 13 first-half points, hit a pair of buckets. Myk Brown briefly stymied the run with a layup, but Nelson scored the final points of the run with another 3-pointer to put VSU in front by 14.
Rollins closed the half with a 6-0 run, which included a banked-in 3 by Brock Blanchard at the buzzer, to cut the Valdosta State lead to 39-31 at the intermission.
Both teams shot the ball well during the first 20 minutes of play. VSU shot 51.7 percent, making 15 of 29 attempts from the floor. Rollins made 13 of its 25 shots (52 percent).
Rollins opened the second half on a 15-7 run, and took its first lead of the game, 47-46, with 12:31 left in the contest. Wolf spurred the run with five points, including a free throw that put the Tars in front, while Baran hit a pair of 3s.
But after that, Rollins went cold from the floor, and stayed that way the rest of the game. The Tars missed their next 18 shots, and did not make another basket until only 58 seconds remained in the game.
Harris put VSU back in front with a 3-pointer on the next Blazer possession, then Robinson added a putback and a pair of free throws. Harris made a second layup, and fed Charles Belton for a lay-in to give Valdosta State a 57-47 lead with seven minutes to play.
The Blazers closed out the victory by making 12 free throws in the final two minutes.
Dibble finished with a game-high 18 points for the Blazers. Harris added 12 points and Robinson 11. VSU All-American Tyrone Curnell scored just four points, but surpassed the 1,000-point mark, and also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
Wolf led Rollins with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Brown finished with 14 points.
Curnell and Crawford each earned All-Tournament honors, as voted on by the media attending the event.
Valdosta State will face Indiana (Pa.), the winner of the Atlantic Region, in the Elite Eight at 2:30 p.m. on March 24 in Springfield, Mass.
Local Sports
Related Photos
-
Tyrone Curnell (2) and the Valdosta State Blazers advanced to the quarterfinals of the Division II national tournament with a 71-58 victory over Rollins in the South Region final on Tuesday in Russellville, Ark. Jonathan M. Chick | The Valdosta Daily Times
Discussion
Blazers Elite Eight bound!
Valdosta State defeats Rollins 71-58, wins South Region tournament
- Local Sports
-
-
Big win for Lady Blazers
Receiving little respect around the conference, region and nation, the Valdosta State women’s basketball team made a statement Thursday night.
The Lady Blazers put together an impressive defensive performance, mixed in with effective offense, to defeat the Alabama-Huntsville Lady Chargers, who entered the night tied for first place in the Gulf South Conference, 65-55. -
No. 6 Chargers rout Valdosta State, 87-65
The season-long struggles for the Valdosta State men’s basketball team hit an all-time high Thursday night, as the Blazers were blown out by sixth-ranked Alabama-Huntsville, 87-65 at the P.E. Complex.
“It was just a knockout punch from the beginning,” Valdosta State head coach Mike Helfer said. “Give (Alabama-Huntsville) a lot of credit for where they are. They are in the hunt for the league lead and they are a great program. They did what they had to do from the start, which was take control of the game.” -
Lowndes’ Chapman, Talmage named to all-star team
Lowndes softball players Ashley Chapman and Maiah Talmage have been chosen to play in the GACA All-Star Softball Showcase in June.
The GACA All-Star Softball Showcase is an annual softball game between top senior players from South Georgia and North Georgia. The game will be played on June 13 at Alto Park in Rome, Ga. -
Berrien, Cook, Lanier announce 2012 schedules
The Valdosta Daily Times has recently received the upcoming 2012 football schedules for the Cook Hornets, Berrien Rebels and Lanier County Bulldogs.
Lanier County kicks off regular season play Aug. 24 with a visit from Atkinson County. Cook and Berrien begin play on Aug. 31, when the Hornets host Worth County and the Rebels visit Calhoun. -
VLPRA group participates in Special Olympics
On the weekend of Jan. 20-22, 21 Special Olympic athletes from the Valdosta-Lowndes Parks and Recreation Authority traveled to Marietta to compete in the 2012 Special Olympics Georgia Winter Games.
-
Lowndes, Valdosta close out regular season tonight
The Lowndes and Valdosta varsity basketball teams close out regular season play tonight.
Lowndes will host Coffee, while Valdosta hosts Tift County. The girls will tipoff at 6 and the boys at 7:30 p.m.
-
VSU's Harris suspended indefinitely
A shortened, diminished roster for the Valdosta State men's basketball team took another blow Thursday following the suspension of senior guard Sidney Harris.
-
Big weekend ahead for Lady Blazers
It might be an understatement to call this weekend’s two home games for the Valdosta State women’s basketball team a big deal, because that is exactly what they are.
-
Blazers fall to Albany State, 7-3
The Valdosta State baseball team was handed a third-straight loss Wednesday night, as the Blazers fell to in-state foe Albany State, 7-3.
The Blazers were held in check for much of the night, despite being aided by nine Golden Ram walks. With runners on base, the Blazers were unable to produce enough offense to score runs, leaving 12 runners stranded in the game. -
Wildcats rally for 50-40 win over Brooks
Valdosta’s boys basketball team came alive in the fourth quarter, and rallied for a 50-40 victory over Brooks County on Wednesday night.
The Wildcats outscored Brooks 24-9 in the fourth quarter, and turned a five-point deficit into a 10-point win. - More Local Sports Headlines
-
