MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Five different players scored in double figures for the Auburn Montgomery men's basketball team against Gulf South Conference opponent Valdosta State on Saturday afternoon, with senior guard Kenneth Keith leading the way with 18 points, but the Warhawks could not slow the hot-shooting Blazers who notched a 113-91 victory on Saturday afternoon to spoil AUM's homecoming game.
 
NOTES
• AUM falls to 6-12 on the season and 2-8 in league play.
• VSU improves to 15-5 overall and 8-4 in the GSC.
• The Blazers improve to 5-3 lifetime against the Warhawks.
• AUM is 0-3 against VSU since joining the GSC.
• Five different Blazers also scored in double figures, with graduate guard Beau Justice leading all scorers with 31 points.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Keith tallied 18 points, four assists, two rebounds, a block and a steal in 24 minutes of action.
• Junior guard Darrion Taylor scored 17, knocking down 5-of-9 3-point attempts.
• Junior guard Carlos Bell recorded his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 13 and pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds (10 defensive). Bell also had four assists, a block and a steal.
• Sophomore guard EJ Card scored a career-high 15 points in the setback.
• Junior forward Aaron Reddick scored 14 and finished one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The two teams battled to a 4-4 tie with 16:50 to play before a 7-0 run by VSU gave the visitors an 11-4 advantage in just over a minute of play. A Keith jumper in the paint cut the deficit to 11-6 with 14:50 to go in the first but an 11-4 run by VSU gave the Blazers a 21-10 lead with 11:54 on the clock.
• AUM would start to claw its way back into the contest, pulling to within 30-23 with 8:38 until the break on a Card old fashioned 3-point play after the sophomore made a running layup in the paint and was fouled. VSU would respond with a 22-9 run over the next five minutes to push their lead to 52-32 with 3:46 to play, before eventually taking a 63-39 lead into the break.
• The first five minutes of the second half saw Taylor catch fire for AUM, tallying 11 points including three 3-pointers to pull the Warhawks to within 73-55 with 15:21 to play, but the Blazers would pull away again. Taylor kept up his hot-shooting, hitting two more treys over the next five minutes, but it would be a Keith 3-pointer that would pull the Orange & Black to within 89-75 with 9:48 to go.
• Once again VSU would respond with a run, outscoring AUM 16-6 over the next four minutes to take a 105-81 lead with 6:44 to play. The Blazers would keep the Warhawks at arm's length the rest of the way, earning the 113-91 road victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
• VSU won the rebounding battle 52-37.
• Each team connected on 11 treys.
• The Blazers tallied 24 assists while AUM notched 13.
• VSU outscored AUM 52-34 in the paint.
 
UP NEXT
The Warhawks will have a quick turnaround, heading to Pensacola, Fla., on Monday to take on GSC foe West Florida in a contest set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
 
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