VALDOSTA, Ga. – With four players in double figures and a double-double from Valdosta State junior Bryce Smith, the No. 9-ranked Blazers posted a 77-58 victory over visiting West Florida Thursday evening to open the 2019 portion of the schedule. Smith had 15 points and 10 rebounds for one of four Blazers in double figures on the night.
The Blazers shook off the disappointing loss from Sunday with the win and improved to 11-2 on the year and 4-1 in Gulf South Conference play. UWF dropped to 4-9 and 0-5 in league play. Senior Beau Justice had a game-high 21 points on 7 of 14 from the field with two triples and 5 of 5 from the line. Junior Clay Guillozet added 19 points on 9 of 18 from the field and seven rebounds. Smith was 7 of 8 from the field with one triple, while senior Winston Morgan drained four triples for 12 points.
As a team, VSU shot 47.7 percent on 31 of 65 from the field, while going 8 of 23 from beyond the arc and 7 of 12 from the line. VSU pulled down 47 rebounds and held a 13-7 lead in second chance points, while forcing nine miscues for a 14-8 lead in points off turnovers. UWF struggled shooting as it was just 22 of 66 (.333), while going 5 of 18 from range and 9 of 13 from the line. Rashaan Benson had 20 points for the Argos on 6 of 16 from the field with three triples and 5 of 5 from the line. Henri Ventoniemi was 6 of 12 in the post with 10 rebounds and 12 points for a double-double.
VSU never trailed in the game as it used a 10-0 run capped with a tip-in from Guillozet for a 25-15 lead with 5:56 left in the first half. The Blazers then increased their lead pushing the margin to 31-17 as VSU broke a 15-13 score, from the 12:14 mark, for the 31-17 score with 3:23 left in the half. UWF's Brian Chalifoux buried a triple just before half for a 39-27 score at the break.
The Blazers held UWF to just 9 of 33 from the field in the first half as the Argos made just one of their first 10 shots to begin the game. VSU shot 45.2 percent for the half on 14 of 31 and drained four triples. Three trifectas and 6 of 8 shooting from the line kept UWF within 12 for the first half, despite the poor shooting.
Morgan buried a triple for a 65-44 margin with 8:49 left and the largest lead of the game to that point. VSU later pushed the lead to 22 on a layup and settled for a 77-58 win.
The Blazers conclude the homestand Saturday at 4 p.m. at The Complex versus West Alabama. Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com. The game also will be broadcast on 92.1 WDDQ FM with Mike Chason having the call.
