ATHENS, Ga.- The Valdosta State Blazers men's basketball team gave the Georgia Bulldogs all they could handle in Friday night's exhibition. The Blazers fought for the entirety of the game, before falling 93-81.
VSU started hot, jumping all over Georgia early 19-7. The Bulldog roared back, led by star guard Anthony Edwards, to tie it up at 23 apiece. Both teams settled in, as a stunned Georgia team took a 42-37 lead into the half.
The second half started rough for the Blazers, as the Bulldogs increased their lead to double-digits. VSU battled back, using a 5-2 run to bring it back to single digits. From there on out, Georgia was able to keep its distance from the Blazers. VSU kept it close however, in large part to the efforts of seniors Clay Guillozet (27 points, six rebounds and four assists) and Bryce Smith (18 points and six rebounds). Georgia was able to close the game out late however, holding off VSU 93-81. Darrell Jones (10 points and five rebounds) and Cam Hamilton (11 points and four steals) also performed well for the Blazers.
The Blazers showed why they just might be better than their preseason Gulf South Conference ranking indicated. This was a Valdosta State team that had many new faces, only returning four players from last year's team. The Blazers fought hard against a Georgia team that has been hyped as one of the best teams in Athens in recent years. The Blazers simply showed up ready to play and were not fazed by the big stage.
The Blazers open the regular season on November 8th as they play host to Fort Valley State. Check back with vstateblazers.com for information throughout the season on Blazer basketball and all 12 Blazer athletic teams. To purchase tickets for Blazer home events, call 229-333-SEAT (7328) or check the Tickets tab at vstateblazers.com.
