VALDOSTA, Ga. — Behind five Blazers scoring in double figures and graduate guard Maurice Gordon recording his first double-double of the season, the Valdosta State men's basketball team defeated Clinton College, 121-92, Tuesday night inside The Complex. The Blazers improved to 5-2 on the year and extended their win streak to five-straight games.
The 121 points marked the highest-scoring output for the Blazers since VSU's 129-81 victory on Nov. 19, 2018, against Brewton-Parker. In addition, the Blazers' blistering 19 three-pointers mark the most treys in a game since VSU's 111-98 victory against Fort Valley State on Dec. 10, 2018, in Valdosta where the Blazers also recorded 19 three-pointers in 45 attempts.
Redshirt senior guard Cam Hamilton crossed 1,000 career points at VSU, becoming the 26th Blazer to join the 1,000-point club, and the first since Clay Guillozet, who played for the Blazers from 2017-2020. Hamilton crossed the milestone with 3:21 left in the game against Tuesday evening with a deep three-pointer courtesy of Gordon. Hamilton finished the night shooting 8 of 13 from the field, 5 of 9 from deep and a perfect 2 of 2 from the free throw line in addition to four rebounds, five dimes, and four steals through 23 minutes.
Gordon matched Hamilton's 23 points, going 8 of 12 from the field, 5 of 8 from beyond the arc and 2 of 4 from the free throw line in addition to a team-high 16 rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal. Senior guard Jacolbey Owens led the team in assists with seven while picking up eight points, two blocks and a rebound, and graduate guard Ryan Black added 12 points, going 4 of 8 from the field and also 4 of 8 from deep.
Sophomore forward Caden Boser collected four rebounds while shooting 5 of 6 from the field and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc for 17 points and junior forward Jay Rucker recorded a team-high three blocks. Senior forward Mohamed Fofana was the final Blazer to finish in double figures as he recorded 17 points, shooting 8 of 11 from the field in addition to three rebounds, two assists and three steals.
As a team, the Blazers shot 44 of 74 (59.5%) from the field, 19 of 36 (52.8%) from deep and 14 of 18 (77.8%) from the free throw line. The Blazers finished the game with 38 rebounds, including seven offensive, a season-high eight blocks, a season-high 29 assists and 12 steals.
For Clinton College, who counted this game as an exhibition, the team went 37 of 84 (44%) from the field, 6 of 23 (26.1%) from deep and 12 of 18 (66.7%) from the free throw line in addition to 45 rebounds, including 20 offensive, 15 assists and seven steals.
The Golden Bears were led by Cameron Shannon, who put up 19 points, going 9 of 20 from the field and 1 of 5 from beyond the arc. Jaden Clarke led the team in rebounds with 12, while Jeremiah Anderson recorded a team-high four assists and Clarke and Jordan Snipe-Campbell combined for four thefts.
After the Golden Bears jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead, the Blazers battled back to take the lead at 10-9 from a three-pointer by Rucker. The Blazers then built a nine-point lead from a trey by Hamilton and a free-throw by Gordon, 22-13. Clinton College began to scratch back and cut VSU's lead to five, 28-23, with 10:14 in the half, but back-to-back three-point chances from Hamilton propelled the Blazers to a 10-point lead, 33-23. Deep into the half, an eight-point run, sparked by a bucket by Boser, held VSU's lead at 10, 46-36, with 5:19 left in the first 20 minutes, but CC responded with a 5-0 run to scratch back to 55-51. A final jumper from Owens brought the Blazers to the locker room leading 57-51.
VSU was led by Boser, who went 4 of 5 from the field, 2 of 3 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4 of 4 from the free-throw line for 14 points in the first half. Rucker recorded a team-high two blocks while adding seven points as Gordon led the team with nine rebounds in addition to 13 points at the half and Owens dropped a team-high four assists.
The Golden Bears were led by Tyler Hammond and Shannon at the half, who each put up 11 points. Anderson recorded a team-high two assists while Clarke recorded a team-high nine rebounds.
Out of the locker room, a quick trey from Gordon pushed VSU's lead to 60-51 before CC responded with a bucket to keep a seven-point deficit, 60-53. Later, a 6-0 run from the Blazers with 13:56 left in the game gave VSU a 19-point lead courtesy of a trey by Gordon. The Golden Bears weren't defeated, however, as a 10-2 run allowed CC to cut the deficit to 11, 79-68 with 11:22 left. Deep into the half, the Blazers' offense came alive, building a 31-point lead, 114-83, following a 10-point run with 2:51 left sparked by back-to-back treys from Hamilton. VSU saw its largest lead of the game, 121-88, from a bucket by sophomore guard Chris Connor as the Golden Bears got one final bucket off as time expired to give VSU a 121-92 victory.
The Blazers will return to Gulf South Conference action as the team will travel to Mississippi to take on Delta State on Nov. 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET in Cleveland, Miss., and at Mississippi College on Nov. 28 in Clinton, Miss. also slated for 8:30 p.m. ET. The Blazers return to the Complex on Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. to host West Georgia for the first game of the Red Clay Rivalry Series for men's basketball.
