After back-to-back losses in the Ames Construction Classic in Saint Leo, Florida over the weekend, the Wildcats of Fort Valley State University (FVSU) were hopeful that their short trip south to Valdosta on Tuesday (Dec. 4
th) would yield a more favorable result on the basketball court. 3-3 on the season, the Wildcats took the journey to meet the Blazers of Valdosta State University (VSU). The Blazers entered the game with a 6-1 record after suffering their first loss of the campaign in their last outing.
In the first meeting between the region rivals, the Wildcats set the game's early tempo by employing full court pressure. That defensive pressure combined with good perimeter shooting gave the Wildcats a 25-15 lead with 7:45 remaining in the first half. As the balanced attack continued for FVSU, the Wildcats found themselves ahead at the intermission, 39-27.
In the first half of play the Wildcats shot 43.6% from the floor connecting on 17 of 39 shots. The Blazers made 11 of 40 shots for 27.5%. The Wildcats forced 10 first half turnovers by the Blazers and
Brandon Davey and
Nigel Domineck led FVSU in scoring in the first half with 11 and 10 points respectively.
In the second half, the Blazers made a quick charge at the Wildcat lead. Over the first three minutes, VSU went on a 10-2 scoring run to cut the lead to 41-37. At the 15:28 mark, the Wildcat lead was cut to just one point, 44-43. After a technical foul call on FVSU's
Corey Hunter, the Blazers tied the game on the first free throw and took the lead on the second, 45-44. That was followed by a Blazer three-point basket to make the score 48-44.
The Blazer lead held until 11:08 remaining when
Peyton Mullings jump shot tied the game. After a Blazer turnover,
Aaron Bing hit a jump shot to give FVSU a 56-54 lead. Two minutes later, a sweeping layup by Domineck extended the Wildcat lead to 58-54.
At the 7:43 mark, the Blazers crept back into the lead, 60-58. After a time-out, VSU made a free throw and back-to-back three-point baskets to extend their lead to 67-58 with 6:10 remaining. The 13-0 Blazer scoring run was finally quashed with a Wildcat layup at the 5:10 mark.
With 2:44 left, the Blazer lead was up to 12 points, 77-65. Trailing 79-69 with 1:40 remaining, the Wildcats were forced into to a quick shot offense and fouls on defense. Neither provided the answer FVSU was looking for as the Blazers came away with an 83-72 win.
It was a better half of shooting for VSU that made the difference in the game. The Blazers shot 59% from the floor in the second half; making 19 of 32 shots. The Wildcats made only 10 baskets in the final 20 minutes. Davey and Domineck led FVSU in scoring with 13 points each.
The loss drops the Wildcats to below .500 for the first time this season. Now at 3-4, FVSU will remain idle until December 11
th, when they host these same Blazers in the HPE Complex at 7 p.m. on the FVSU campus.
