VALDOSTA, Ga.-Host Valdosta State outscored the Christian Brothers University Bucs 33-14 in the first 16 minutes as they rolled to a 79-65 win Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Blazers (20-4, 15-3 GSC) opened the game on an 18-4 run capped by a Jimmy Kodet triple with 11:39 remaining in the first half.
• A 12-4 burst stretched the Valdosta advantage to 33-14 on a Marquis Simuels layup with 4:04 to play in the first half.
• The Bucs (14-10, 11-7) used a 16-4 run in the second half to pull within 53-45 on a pair of
Tyler Estep (Cincinnati, Ohio/Reading HS) free throws with 11:23 remaining.
• VSU answered with a 12-4 run to extend their lead back to 65-49 on a Saadiq Muhammad layup with 7:15 remaining, and the Bucs never came closer than 12 again.
KEY STATS:
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Jeff Larkin (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle HS) led the Bucs with 19 points.
•
Charlie Oswald (Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS) scored a season-high 11 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the floor.
• Estep scored a season-high 10 with two assists.
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Adam Dieball (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East HS),
Brad Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder HS) and
Joe Laravie (Kettering, Ohio/Alter HS) missed Saturday's game due to food poisoning.
• The Bucs shot 51.8 percent (29-of-56) from the floor but just 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from three-point range. Valdosta finished 49.2 percent (31-of-63) overall, including 36.0 percent (9-of-25) from beyond the arc.
• Each team grabbed 33 rebounds, with the Blazers holding a 13-10 edge in offensive boards. The Bucs committed 10 turnovers to Valdosta's five.
GSC TOURNAMENT PICTURE:
Valdosta State and No. 22 Alabama Huntsville are tied for first place at 15-3 in the GSC, and both have already clinched a berth in the GSC Tournament. Delta State (13-5) is in third and has also clinched a berth. CBU and West Florida are tied for fourth at 11-7, followed by Shorter (9-9) in sixth place. North Alabama and Union are tied for seventh at 8-10. West Georgia is ninth at 6-11.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Bucs finish the regular season with three of their last four games at home, beginning Thursday night at 7 p.m. when they host Mississippi College.
