Valdosta State's Tristan Steele (15) shoots a 3-pointer during the first half of Saturday night's game against North Alabama.

For the first time under head coach Bobby Champagne, the North Alabama Lions defeated the Valdosta State men’s basketball team in Valdosta.

The Lions used an impressive performance from guard Beaumont Beasley to claim a 70-58 victory, handing the Blazers their fourth loss in five games.

“When you have as many people that come out and support us, especially at home, it is very humbling for myself and our players,” Valdosta State head coach Mike Helfer said. “We are extremely thankful to our fans. We have the best fans in America for Division II basketball, so I think our guys get jacked up because of the fans.”

Beasley finished the game with 23 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Lions, while Theron Jenkins finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds. As a unit, the Lions outrebounded Valdosta State 51-46, but managed 22 offensive rebounds, which led to 23 second-chance points.

“They did a good job at tipping them in and hustling after them,” Helfer said. “We just did not do a good job at blocking out. I don’t think you can give teams that many extra opportunities and expect to win.”

For Valdosta State, Will Alston led the Blazers with 18 points, while Drew Maynard finished with 12. Both players recorded 11 rebounds on the night.

“I thought both of those guys played real hard, with a lot of energy and passion,” Helfer said. “I was very thankful for that from the both of them and they both obviously got a lot done, recording double-doubles.”

After trailing by 15 points (36-21) at the half, the Blazers closed the gap in the second half, bringing the game within four points. Chris Rozier started the semi-comeback for Valdosta State, connecting on a layup, which was followed up by a layup from Mike Holloway, a jumper from Alston and a free throw from Holloway.

After the two teams swapped baskets, Holloway continued to lead the Blazers. The walk-on managed another layup to bring the score to 57-53 with 6:18 to play.

That would mark the closest the Blazers would get to North Alabama. The Lions responded with a 13-5 run to close out the game.

“We turned it over and then they made a couple of big shots,” Helfer said. “(The deficit) went from like four to 13 pretty quick. And then that was kind of the end of the game, but we kept fighting. I was proud of our guys for that.”

After managing three ties in the first five minutes of play, the Blazers gave way to a strong 28-11 North Alabama run to close out the first half.

North Alabama’s dominance on the offensive glass was especially noticeable in the opening half, as the Lions racked up 14 boards, which led to 15 points. Beasley led the way with 12 rebounds in the half, seven of which were on the offensive end. Meanwhile, Jenkins led the way with nine points.