LIVINGSTON, Ala. – Despite holding the Gulf South Conference's top scoring offense to 16 points below its season average, West Alabama men's basketball fell to Valdosta State 73-61 at Pruitt Hall on Saturday.
 
With the win, the Blazers (17-3, 12-2) extend their winning streak to nine, retaining the top spot in league standings. The Tigers drop their second straight conference matchup, falling to 9-10 overall and 4-9 in the GSC.
 
"We gave up too many points early on," UWA head coach Allen Sharpe said. "They created runs that were more productive than ours, and we end up letting them hang 42 points on us by halftime."
 
After a slow start from both sides, the Tiger defense held the Blazers to one field goal through six possessions as UWA constructed an 11-2 scoring run, seizing a 17-9 lead with 9:25 to play in the first half.
 
However, Valdosta State turned the tables quickly, outscoring West Alabama 23-5 over the next six and a half minutes, cruising to a 42-28 halftime lead. VSU's Jeremiah Hill and Josh Lemons accounted for 22-of-23 points during the Blazers' run.
 
Valdosta State converted on 17-of-27 (63%) of their field goals in the first 20 minutes, while West Alabama hit just 9-of-24 (38%).
 
"The game started getting away from us toward the end of the first half," Sharpe said. "They switched to zone, and attacking that style of defense has been a problem for us this season."
 
The Tigers slowly chipped away at the second-half deficit, outscoring the Blazers 21-9 to pull within one possession with 10:38 to play.
 
VSU turned the game around for the final time, mounting a 13-3 run over the next eight minutes to construct a 10-point advantage they would hold for the remainder of the contest.
 
"They threw a lot of different looks at us defensively toward the end," Sharpe said. "Instead of getting aggressive and attacking the basket, we tried to figure it out and it cost us."
 
"We knew coming into this game that we had to keep Saadiq Muhammad and Justin Simon off the glass. We did a great job outrebounding in our midweek game against West Florida, but we couldn't reproduce those results against a similar opponent tonight."
 
VSU collected 44 boards to UWA's 24 on the night, allowing the Blazers to outscore the Tigers 16-7 on second chance baskets. Muhammad and Simon led Valdosta's rebounding effort, combining for 18 in the win. Simon led with 11 rebounds, while Muhammad finished with 7.
 
Muhammad led Blazer scorers with 18 points, hitting 8-of-11 from the field. Beau Justice and Lemons each posted 14 points, while Hill finished with 12. Simon rounded out VSU's double-digit scorers with 10.
 
Jahmal Lane led the Tigers' offensive effort with 18 points. Gavin Robinson recorded 16 points, converting on 100 percent of his free throw and three-point attempts. Toni Kumanovic followed with a career high 15 points.
 
The Tigers will travel to Jackson, Tennessee, for a GSC road contest against Union on Thursday. Tip off at Fred DeLay Gymnasium is slated for 7:30 p.m.