BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Valdosta State men’s basketball team saw their eight game winning streak come to an end after a tough 94-91 loss to the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers in the Gulf South Conference Championship game on Sunday afternoon at Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Ala.

Valdosta State opened up the game with a Justin Simon jumper and proceeded to outscore the Chargers 27-15 during the first ten minutes of the contest. Alabama-Huntsville bounced back, however, and a 31-15 run for the Chargers throughout the final 10 minutes of the first half put UAH up 46-42 at the break.

In the second half, an effective long range shooting effort proved to be the difference, as Alabama-Huntsville connected on nearly half of their three-point attempts for a 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) shooting effort from beyond the arc. The timely long range shots down the stretch, along with an 83.3 percent effort from the free throw line, held off a gutsy Valdosta State team, who closed a nine-point deficit to just three points before the final buzzer sounded.

Five different Blazers reached double-digits in the scoring column on the day, with Josh Lemons leading the fray after scoring 17 points. The combined effort fell just shy of overcoming a game-high 35 points scored by tournament MVP Seab Webster.

The Blazers fell to 26-5 overall after the loss, while the Chargers improved to 25-7 on the season. The Blazers, who entered the tournament as the No. 1 ranked team in the South Region, will await Sunday night’s 10:30 p.m. NCAA Selection Show to learn when and where they will play next.

(VStateBlazers.com)