LIVINGSTON, Ala. – Kortrijk Miles had another career game to lead the West Alabama men's basketball team in an 84-74 victory over Valdosta State Sunday afternoon. The Tigers remain undefeated at home while improving to 12-2 on the season and 5-1 in conference play.
The game took on a faster pace than the previous games, with high volume traffic on both sides of the court.
Justin Allison came out of the gate dropping shots, scoring 10 points with a perfect 4-for-4, including two 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the game. After Allison committed two fouls, two-time GSC Player of the Week Miles took over, scoring 16 points with nine rebounds in the first half alone.
The two teams were evenly matched for the first part of the half, with the Tigers leading the Blazers 27-24 with 5:31 remaining. UWA saw a late scoring surge, going on an 11-3 run. Valdosta attempted a rally back before the break, but shots continued to hit for the Tigers.
West Alabama had a six-point advantage at halftime, leading Valdosta State, 43-37.
The Blazers struck first in the second period and quickly grabbed a 46-45 lead after four Tiger turnovers. The lead did not last long as a foul put Allison at the line for UWA. He hit both to start a 9-3 run for West Alabama.
The Tiger lead stuck, and West Alabama finished the game with an 84-74 victory.
After scoring 16 points in the first half, Miles added 14 in the second to tie his career-high of 30 points. He also brought down 10 more boards for another career-high of 19 rebounds.
Three other Tigers saw double-digit scoring against the Blazers. Allison had 19 total points, Robert Davis scored 17, and Shardarrion Allen had 14.
West Alabama shot 45.8% from the field as a team, hitting 27 on 59 attempts from beyond the arc, including 3 of 10. The Tigers were 27 of 32 at the line for 84.4%.
Jacolbey Owens led Valdosta State (7-6, 3-3) with 17 points on the night. As a unit, the Blazers hit 27 of 55 (49.1%) from the floor with 7 of 20 in three-point range. The team struggled with free throws, hitting just 13 of 23 (56.5%).
After four straight games at home, UWA will hit the road for the first time in a month as it travels to Cleveland, Tenn., to take on Lee University on Saturday, Jan. 8. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT / 4 p.m ET inside Paul Dana Walker Arena.
To stay connected with the UWA Men's basketball team, follow @UWA_basketball on Twitter. General athletic news, along with game recaps and box scores, can be found at uwaathletics.com. Additional updates and information are available @UWAAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
