LIVINGSTON, Ala. – Looking for its third-straight Gulf South Conference victory, the University of West Alabama men's basketball team makes the long trek to Valdosta, Ga., to take on the Blazers Thursday evening at 7 p.m.
 
UWA enters the contest currently sitting at sixth-place in the conference after big wins over No. 10 Christian Brothers and rival Delta State last week. Coach Mike Newell's club is now 8-16 overall with a 5-6 record in the conference.
 
Part of West Alabama's success as of late has been the play in the paint. Stepping in for teammate Darrion Booker, sophomore center Kyle Belcher scored eight against CBU before helping the Tigers outscore the Statesmen by 16 points in the paint last Saturday.
 
Valdosta State enters Thursday's home game in desperate need of a win. The Blazers sit at 9-13 on the year and have lost three-straight in GSC action to move their conference record to just 2-9.
 
These two teams last met on Jan. 19 in Livingston, Ala., with the home standing Tigers taking an 83-69 triumph over VSU. Alquan Mendenhall led all scorers in that contest with 26 points to go along with eight rebounds from Steven Samuels.
 
Following Thursday's game, UWA returns home to face West Florida on Senior Day at Pruitt Hall. West Alabama will honor senior Alquan Mendenhall before the 4 p.m. scheduled tip time.
   
Fans can follow the Tigers all season long on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UWAathletics) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/UWAathletics). Additionally, fans may also sign up to receive SMS text alerts at www.uwaathletics.com.