CARROLLTON, Ga. - The UWG men's basketball team advanced to the Semi-finals of the GSC Tournament after a 86-66 win over the Valdosta State Blazers on Tuesday night.
 
West Georgia (19-8, 18-7 GSC) struggled offensively in the first half but turned it around in the second half as the Wolves scored 52 points in the half and shot 45% from the field and 50% from three to propel themselves over Valdosta State (18-13, 14-11 GSC).
 
"We didn't play our best basketball in that first half and you look up and we are only down one, so that gave us hope going into halftime," said head coach Dave Moore. "We turned it around in the second half by getting stops and getting and making clean looks. That really made the difference and then when we got rolling, the momentum was there, the adrenaline was there, and the crowd really got into it."
 
The Wolves got off to a blazing hot start, going on an 8-0 run fueled by a Camron Donatlan three pointer and three points from Jalen Sasser. Valdosta State immediately answered back with an 8-2 run of their own, thanks to five points from Jacolbey Owens and three from Mohamed Fofana. 
 
The two teams continued to throw haymakers at each other like two heavyweight boxers, with UWG weathering the storm early and leading by as many as nine points halfway through the first half. At the 10:40 mark, the Blazers mounted a huge 12-4 run to cut the UWG lead to one. 
 
With First Team All-GSC selection Michael Zabetakis on the bench with two fouls, Valdosta State took their first lead of the contest at the 2:42 mark in the first half on a Jay Rucker layup, putting the Blazers up 33-32, as they finished the half with a one point lead, 35-34. Donatlan and J.J. Barnes led the Wolves in scoring with nine points a piece, with Barnes going 4-8 from the floor. Jacolbey Owens led the Blazers with nine as well. 
 
Both teams continued to trade blows through the beginning of the second half as a Kolten Griffin three pointer put the Wolves up one, 47-46, with 15 minutes left in the game. A Mike Isler free throw tied the game at 47, and the Blazers went on a 11-2 run in two minutes of game time to take a commanding 57-49 lead. 
 
The Wolves flipped a switch almost immediately, going on a 37-12 run to end the game, led by 13 points from Michael Zabetakis and Cole Fisher's nine points off the bench, shooting 50% from the field and 50% from three to propel the Wolves to a 20-point victory over the Blazers. 
 
Sasser had the best game of his season, leading the Wolves with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Zabetakis, who was held scoreless until the six-minute mark in the second half, finished with 13 points and seven rebounds of his own. 
 
The Wolves advance to the semi-final match of the Gulf South Tournament, as they prepare to take on the #1 seed in Alabama-Huntsville.  
 
"Huntsville presents a lot of matchup problems," coach Moore continued. "For us, we have to go in there and execute and we have to be able to make some shots. It's a neutral site game and hopefully we can go down to Samford and make some shots and make it a good game."