Valdosta State guard Cam Hamilton (3) goes up and under for a reverse layup past West Alabama's CJ Melton (1) during the second half of a game Saturday at The Complex.

VALDOSTA – The Valdosta State men’s basketball team returns to the road after two big wins over Alabama Huntsville and West Alabama at home last week.

The Blazers will face two Gulf South Conference opponents in Shorter and Lee as they look to continue their four-game winning streak. VSU opens the week at Shorter on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m., while traveling to Lee for a 4 p.m. tip on Saturday, Jan. 14.

The Blazers have won four-straight Gulf South Conference matchups heading into the week and are 12-6 overall and 8-4 in Gulf South Conference play. Shorter is 3-12 overall and 1-10 in the GSC, while Lee is 10-3 overall and 9-3 in the GSC. Lee is currently locked in a five-way tie for the top spot in the conference standings.

Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming and more at vstateblazers.com on the men’s basketball schedule page. Thursday’s games will be on 94.3 WJEM FM Fox Sports Valdosta and Saturday’s games will be broadcast on TALK 92.1 WDDQ FM with Spencer Van Horn having the call both days.

Valdosta State will head into the second half of the conference slate this week as the Blazers, who currently have an 8-4 conference record, sit behind West Alabama, Alabama Huntsville, Lee, West Georgia and Union, all of whom are atop the standings each with a 9-3 GSC record. VSU is currently 3-2 against those teams, with losses against West Georgia, 88-76, on December 1, 2022 and Union, 81-78, on December 11, 2022. Each of those games were narrow contests with the Blazers battling in each, coming up just short by the final buzzer.

The Blazers posted a 101-62 victory over Shorter on Nov. 19 for the second GSC win of the season. Against the Hawks, senior Mohamed Fofana had a career-high 26 points on 10 of 12 from the field, along with five assists and three steals along with five other players in double figures. As a team VSU shot 56.9 percent from the field on 37 of 65, shooting 15 of 29 from downtown and 12 of 16 from the line. It marked the first time scoring over 100 points for the Blazers this season. VSU has won 17 of its last 23 meetings in the series with the Blazers going 9-1 in the last 10 matchups with the one loss coming on February 19, 2022 to a close score of 74-70. In that game, Shorter outscored Valdosta State 45-29 in the second half to defeat the Blazers.

The Blazer men’s basketball team gained its first Gulf South Conference victory against Lee on November 17, 2022 in a thrilling 81-79 victory. In that matchup, the Blazers held an 81-79 lead with 40 seconds remaining, but a missed shot by VSU allowed Lee to race down the court with only eight seconds remaining and had a good look which was just off target but the Flames got the offensive rebound and foul at the buzzer. However, after a video review, it was determined that the foul came after the buzzer and VSU came out victorious. With the win, VSU snapped a six-game skid against Lee dating back to an 81-70 victory on February 3, 2018. VSU currently holds a narrow 9-8 all-time record against the Flames with Lee winning six of the last 10.

This season, the Blazers lead the GSC in scoring offensively, scoring 87.5 points per game for 13th nationally. VSU is also first in the GSC in team field goal percentage shooting 49.1 percent for 29th nationally. Valdosta State also is second in three-point percentage in the GSC, shooting 37.3 percent on the year. VSU is second in the GSC in a turnover margin at a 3.67 clip for 27th nationally, while it is first in the GSC and 44th nationally in turnovers forced per game at a 16.4 clip.

Individually, senior Jacolby Owens is ninth in the GSC in scoring averaging 15.9 points per game while also being second in assists per game averaging at a 6.2 clip for 12th nationally. Redshirt senior Cam Hamilton is tied for first in the GSC for steals per game at 2.2 steals per game for 25th nationally. Fofana is third in the GSC in field goal percentage shooting 102 of 175 (.583) for the season. Graduate student Maurice Gordon is tied for fourth in the GSC in blocks averaging 1.4 per game. Head coach Mike Helfer is in his 18th season at the helm of the Blazers and is 343-168 at VSU, while he is in his 26th season of coaching overall and is 529-251 all-time.

Shorter has dropped its last ten games with its last win coming against non-conference foe Pensacola Christian College on November 22, 95-79. Ricky Knight, Jr., leads the team averaging 11.6 points per game. He is 61 of 146 from the field. (.418), while he is 27 of 36 from the free throw line and is 36 of 105 from beyond the arc. He has a team-high 47 assists and is tied for team-high steals at 17 for the season. Raphael Houssou leads the team in three-point shots made at 39, while Mark Wilcox, Jr., has made a team-high 30 free throws in 48 attempts. Jaden Dunham leads the team in rebounds averaging 5.1 a game. Head coach Wade Anderson is in his sixth season and is 20-123 with the Hawks.

Lee enters the week winners eight of the its last 10 games, and is 9-3 in the GSC. The Flames will host West Florida on Thursday before taking on the Blazers on Saturday afternoon. Lee is under the direction of head coach Bubba Smith who is in his seventh year as the head coach of the program. Smith is 108-68 at Lee and is in his 20th season of coaching overall with a 300-223 record. Smith is 6-11 against VSU.

This season, Lee is second in the GSC and 11th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 61.2 points per game while they are second in the league and 34th nationally in scoring margin at 12.0. Lee averages 73.2 points per game for seventh in the conference. The Flames are first in the league and 27th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage shooting 114 of 288. (.396). The Flames are also second in the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 1.34.

Individually, Jayce Willingham leads the Flames in scoring averaging 16.5 points per game as well as field goal percentage, shooting 81 of 158 from the field. (.513) PJay Smith leads the team in 3-point percentage and is second in the league shooting 34 of 72 with an average of .472. Beyuan Hendricks leads the team in assists and is third in the league with 3.9 assists per game. Quay Kennedy leads the team in rebounds at five a game as well as blocks with one per game.

Following the two road games, the Blazers return home to host Mississippi College on Thurs., Jan. 19 at 8 p.m., at The Complex and Delta State on Jan. 21 at 4 p.m., for Hall of Fame Weekend. Tickets are on sale now for the 26th Annual VSU Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.