VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State sophomore guard Beau Justice scored a game-high 32 points en route to a 104-81 victory for the Blazers over Auburn Montgomery in Gulf South Conference men's basketball action on Friday evening.
 
NOTES
• AUM falls to 7-10 on the season with a 3-7 mark in league play.
• VSU improves to 16-2 overall and 9-1 in the GSC.
• The game was originally slated for Thursday evening, but was moved to Friday due to inclement weather.
• Tonight also marked the first meeting between the two programs since the 1998-99 season.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Junior guard Desmond DeRamus keeps moving closer to the 1,000-point plateau for his career, notching 20 points in tonight's contest. The Montgomery, Ala., native now sits at 942 points over his three seasons at AUM.
• Senior center Jarett Croff recorded 14 points and 9 rebounds for the Warhawks. Croff finished one rebound away from his seventh double-double at AUM.
• Justice was one of five players to score in double figures for the Blazers, while teammate KJ James tallied 16 points and a team-best seven rebounds and six assists.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
• The Blazers jumped out to and early advantage, leading by as much as nine points before AUM cut the lead to 16-12 with 14:23 on a Lafayette James-Core layup.
• Once again the Blazers would pull away before the Warhawks would inch back, pulling to within 28-24 with 8:25 in the first on a DeRamus layup.
• The two teams traded points back and forth over the final eight minutes, before VSU took a 44-37 advantage into the break.
• VSU would start the second half on a 24-7 run to go up 68-44 with 14:04 left in the game.
• The Blazers would hold the Warhawks at arm's length the rest of the way before winning by 23.
 
QUOTING THE COACH
"They're the best team we've seen all year," said AUM head coach Micheal Cheaney. "Their balance of guards and big men, combined with their athleticism and skill was tough to overcome. They're deep, they're at least 10 guys deep. We didn't shoot the ball very well outside but I give they're coaches and players a lot of credit. They're at the top of the GSC and they came prepared."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 
• AUM outrebounded VSU 40-37.
• VSU connected on 15 3-pointers while AUM connected on 10.
• The score was never tied and there was no lead changes.
• The Warhawks' bench outscored the Blazers' 24-12.
 
UP NEXT
The Warhawks will hit the road for their contest, taking on league-leading West Florida on Sunday at 4 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday at but was moved back a day due to inclement weather.
 
For the latest on AUM athletics, find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.