VALDOSTA — The smallest player on the court once again came up big for the Valdosta State men’s basketball team, as the maturation of Herman Burge continues during his senior season.

Burge led the Blazers, both on the stat sheet and in his actions, to a 97-66 victory against Nova Southeastern Saturday at The Complex.

Burge has really picked up his play throughout the last four games both physically and as a leader. And so have the Blazers.

The senior point guard, head coach Mike Helfer’s first recruit to VSU, was an energetic leader, playing tough defense and running the offense to perfection.

Burge scored 20 points, but also had 15 assists, breaking his season-high of 12 and coming within one of tying the school’s all-time record set by Steve Cronic in 1979.

“Whenever you start talking about an assist record, I think that’s a reflection on your teammates as well as a reflection on Herman,” Helfer said. “He’s got to make good decisions in order for his teammates to put the ball in the hole.”

Throughout his last five games, including his second double-double of the season against Nova Southeastern, Burge has tallied 45 assists, with just 11 turnovers.

“I think we’re seeing the maturation of him as a player,” Helfer said. “He’s really playing well, but also I think his confidence is high and he’s having fun.

“I think as he goes, our team is going.”

Burge’s march to the assist record was made easier due to the fact that his teammates wore out the net, making 55.4 percent of their shots and 50 percent of their three-point shots.

The Blazers (10-3) made a season-high 18 three-point baskets, including 12 in the first half, for a 63 percent clip.

The Nova Southeastern Sharks (5-4) played a majority of the first half and the game in a zone defense, which allowed the Blazers’ sharpshooters to get good looks at the basket.

The Sharks are just one of several teams to play zone against the Blazers, and they are also one of those same several teams to get burnt playing zone against them.

“I don’t ever want to question another coach’s strategy or philosophy, but I can’t figure it out,” Helfer said. “I’m just happy that our guys attacked it. Sometimes a zone makes you stand, and we didn’t stand.”

VSU blew the game open thanks to the open three-point opportunities, which sparked a 24-3 run.

The Blazers made five three-point baskets in a row. The streak ended when Mike Crain stepped on the line before hitting his shot.

Richard Lusane led the Blazers with seven three-point baskets and a game-high 23 points, followed by Burge with five three-point buckets, Matt Kuhns with four (12 points) and Crain with two (20 points).

Those players, along with fellow double-figure scorer Devario Hudson (11), made Burge’s 15 assists easy to achieve.

“When you have Richard Lusane and Mike Crain and Devario Hudson and Matt Kuhns, when you have all them on fire, it’s easy,” Burge said. “All I have to do is get it to them and it’s going in. That was the easy part getting them the ball.”

Saturday’s game was a big contrast to the two teams’ previous meeting, when Nova used the three-point basket as a big weapon.

VSU’s improvement throughout the season was evident in its convincing win against Nova Southeastern, a team that defeated the Blazers 96-82 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Nov. 25.

“This is a big game for us,” Burge said. “We looked at this game as a big test. They really gave it to us when we went down there to Fort Lauderdale.

“And we just used this game as a measuring stick to see how much we’ve improved, and hopefully we’ve improved a little.”

The Blazers’ improvement can be seen through their defense, which held the nation’s No. 1 three-point shooting team to just four three’s.

VSU, which primarily plays man-to-man defense, has also played a 1-3-1 zone, a 2-3 zone and a 1-2-2 zone this season, did not need to switch from their man coverage, which was strong throughout the game.

The Blazers also forced Nova to turn the ball over 25 times, allowing more opportunities for VSU.

“It really shows that we’re growing as a team and improving, but really, defensively, we’re making big strides,” Helfer said. “I told our guys going into this game we’re not the same team we were a month ago.”

The Blazers will look to continue to make improvements as they face Webber International at The Complex Thursday, before hosting West Georgia on Jan. 9 in their first Gulf South Conference game of the season.

“I just want our team to continue to get better,” Helfer said. “We talk about that we don’t want anyone to give us anything, we want to earn everything.

“We try to get better each night, and if we can do that, then I’ll fell good about our chances.”