CARROLLTON, Ga. – The UWG men's basketball team secured their 12
th conference win of the season on Saturday after an 82-74 win over the Valdosta State Blazers.
After only scoring 28 points in the first half, West Georgia exploded for 54 second half points, led by
Kadeim Jones who scored 22 of his season-high 30 points in the second half to lift the Wolves over the Blazers.
It was a competitive start to the first half as the Wolves took an early 12-11 lead behind three quick assists from
Michael Zabetakis. A
Jalen Sasser layup gave UWG their largest lead of the first half at five 10 minutes into the game before Valdosta state scored five quick points, tying the game at 20. Tied at 20 with 7:57 left in the half, the Blazers used an 11-0 run to take a 31-20 lead.
Jalen Sasser put an end to the Blazer run and sparked an 8-2 UWG run, cutting VSU's lead down to 33-28 heading into halftime.
West Georgia shot 35.5% from the field and 0-7 from three in the first half, contributing to the five-point deficit.
Out of the break, Jones buried a three to jumpstart a massive 21-8 West Georgia run to give the Wolves a 49-41 lead six minutes into the half. Valdosta State ended the UWG run with a jumper from their leading scorer, Jacolbey Owens, but continued to struggle defensively as a three from
Seth Brown-Carter gave the Wolves their largest lead of the night at 60-48. Down 12 with 10:55 left to play, the Blazers responded with a 19-9 run to cut the West Georgia lead to two with 3:41 left. It was anybody's ballgame in crunch time until
Kadeim Jones single-handily outscored the Blazers in the final three minutes, propelling UWG to an eight-point victory.
Kadeim Jones finished with a season-high 30 points and six rebounds on 61% shooting.
Seth Brown-Carter added 16 points while
Jalen Sasser recorded his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. West Georgia will be back in action on Tuesday for the first round of the GSC tournament with a matchup against Alabama Huntsville set.
TICKETS FOR GSC SUPER TUESDAY -
Purchase Tickets Now
UWG Fans may use the Passcode "GSC2022" to purchase tickets in the reserved seats behind the UWG bench. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased online.