 "Photo: uwgsports.com")
A record breaking 4,873 people were in attendance Saturday evening at The Coliseum for “Paint It Blue Night,” to watch the University of West Georgia’s men’s basketball team take on their Gulf South Conference rival Valdosta State Blazers. The Wolves would end up feeling blue by game’s end, losing in a nail-biter, 58-57.
Valdosta State entered the game ranked sixth nationally (Division II), and featured the highest scoring offense in the GSC, averaging 85.9 points per game. West Georgia played phenomenal team defense, holding the high-powered Blazers offense in check all night. Unfortunately, the Wolves couldn’t muster up enough offense when needed, as junior guard Vojin Svilar rimmed out a three pointer at the end of regulation that would have sent the game into overtime.
“I’m proud of our kids for putting themselves on the line like they did tonight,” said Head Coach Michael Cooney. “We just had a few shots that didn’t go our way and I hate it for them, losing by one point, but they sure played one heck of a ballgame tonight.”
The Wolves never got into a consistent rhythm on offense, only shooting 36% from the field and were 2 for 13 from three-point range. “We started off hot in the first half and just cooled off in the second,” said junior guard Justin Cummings. Cummings came off the bench to score 10 points in the first half, giving the team some momentum and getting the crowd involved early. “The crowd was electric and it felt amazing to be out there tonight. I hope they continue to support us the rest of the season because we need that type of crowd.”
Feeding off the energy of the crowd early, West Georgia got off to a fast start, going on a 7-0 run in the first five minutes of the game. Senior forward John Pringle set the tone early defensively for the Wolves, blocking an early lay-up attempt into the second row of the stands. The Blazers looked out of sync early, but were able to settle in to a rhythm, closing the lead to 12-8 with 11:18 remaining in the first half. With the momentum slipping away, Svilar drained a clutch three pointer seconds later, and Cummings added two free throws, giving West Georgia its largest lead of the night at 17-8.
The Blazers would not go away, fighting back to tie the game and eventually took a four-point lead at 25-21, with 4:14 to go in the opening period. Determined not to surrender the lead any further, senior forward Jeremy Smith attacked the rim with a monster dunk and knocked down two jumpers giving West Georgia a 31-30 at halftime.
The Wolves looked to get off to a fast start in the second half as Svilar connected on an alley-oop to Smith and the fans erupted. The lead would change four more times before Valdosta State went on a 6-0 run to claim their biggest lead of the night at 49-41. West Georgia answered with a run of their own, as sophomore guard Gavin Field knocked down a three pointer to pull the Wolves within one point of the Blazers at 49-48, with 5:17 remaining in the game.
Just when it looked like all the momentum had turned in West Georgia’s favor, Svilar was called for a controversial reach-in foul. The play looked to be a clean steal, but the foul gave Valdosta State a one and one opportunity. Senior guard Tristan Crawford went to the line and made both of his free throws giving the Blazers a 51-48 lead with only 4 minutes remaining in the game. West Georgia answered with pressure defense and lay-ups from Smith and Pringle to shrink the lead to 55-54.
In what turned out to be another controversial call; Blazer guard Ricardo Lewis air-balled a free throw attempt out of bounds. West Georgia appeared to get the ball back with 1:50 remaining and a chance to tie the game or take the lead, but the officials reversed the call and awarded Valdosta State possession. The Blazers capitalized as senior forward Tyrone Curnell knocked down a jumper to give the Blazers a 58-54 lead with 1:18 to go in the game. The Wolves got a quick free throw from Seljak, which set up the game tying three-point attempt with 13 seconds on the clock. Svilar’s shot rimmed out and Seljak got a quick tip in, forcing the Wolves to commit a desperation foul on the inbound pass. West Georgia couldn’t get the foul in time for one last shot, and the game ended in favor of the Blazers, 58-57.
“We played really hard and just came up short tonight, but I think if we play like this every night, we’ll get it done,” said Jeremy Smith after the game. Smith led the Wolves in points scored finishing with 15, Gavin Field grabbed the most rebounds with 7, and Vojin Svilar led the team in assists dishing out 4. West Georgia’s record falls to 10-10 on the season and 2-3 in conference play. The Wolves’ next game will be at home against North Alabama on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 pm.
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