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VALDOSTA, Ga. (November 26, 2017) – The Warriors trailed by as many as 24 points early in the contest before battling back to get within 11 points of the Blazers with four and a half minutes left in the first half, but in the end it would not be enough as the Webber International University men's basketball team fell to NCAA Division-II Valdosta State University, 104-68, on Sunday to wrap up the VSU Thanksgiving Classic.
Webber remains with a 3-2 record heading back into regular-season action this week, while Valdosta State saw its record improve to 6-0. Sunday was the fourth exhibition contest out of six this season for the Warriors.
10 and a half minutes into the game, the Warriors found themselves trailing 35-11, but Webber began to chip away at the Blazer's lead one bucket at a time. Starting around the six-and-a-half-minute mark in the first half, Webber proceeded to go on a 14-1 over only a two-minute span to get within striking distance at 41-30.
Webber's run was capped by seven straight points by the Warriors as senior
Johnathan Childs scored five straight points on free throws and fellow-senior
Osandai Vaughn finished it off with a layup.
Childs was one of four players between both teams in double-digits in scoring at the half with 10, and
McDonald Jean-Louis followed with nine points on two 3-pointers at the half before finishing with 11 points in total.
With one minute remaining in the first half,
Nicholas Blocker converted on two free throws to make the score 51-37 in favor of the Blazers, who would go on to sink four free throws to close out the half with an 18-point advantage.
Shaquille Williams finished the game leading the Warriors in scoring with 12 points, and Vaughn finished with 10 points. Williams' and McDonalds' efforts went a long way in helping the Warriors outscore the Blazers 38-36 in bench points. Webber also outscored Valdosta State 13-7 on second chance points.
Next up, the Warriors will return to the regular season by hosting Florida College at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 28, inside the Sabbagh Athletic Center. After squaring off against the Falcons, Webber will then head to Fort Myers, Florida, for yet another exhibition game as the Warriors will play at NCAA D-I Florida Gulf Coast University, live on ESPN 3, on Wednesday November 29.
