By: Austin Sellars,  Staff Writer 

VALDOSTA, Ga – The VSU men’s basketball team snapped its five-game win streak Thursday night, falling to Christian Brothers University 89-70 at the Complex.  The Blazers struggled to get anything to go in, despite creating multiple chances for themselves all night.  

This loss now brings VSU to a 16-9 overall record and 11-8 in Gulf South Conference play. For CBU, they have now improved to a 5-19 overall record and a 4-15 conference record.  With CBU coming in hungry for the upset, they delivered on that front, shooting 45.5% from the field, 40.9% from behind the arc, and 71.4% from the stripe.  

On the Blazers’ side of things, VSU shot only 39.7% from the field, a whopping 14.3% from the three-point line, and 85.7% from the stripe.  VSU was outrebounded by CBU 54-32 and trailed 21-8 in offensive rebounds, resulting in a 17-4 advantage in second-chance points.  

Not all Blazers were struggling to score, as senior Drew Mills put up 28 pts on 10-17 from the field, snagging six rebounds on 31 minutes of playing time. Junior Blaise Wallace struggled on the offensive side of things, but was an anchor in the paint, grabbing ten boards on the night.  

After this loss, the Blazers can no longer host a playoff game, so they will be forced on the road. Head Coach Mike Helfer believes the key to winning that road game will be getting shots to fall.  

“You gotta make your shots. Every team that makes a run in the NCAA tournament usually shoots its eyeballs out,” Helfer said.  “You can be good defensively, you can press, you can do a lot of things right, but if you don’t make shots, you’re not going to win at any level.” 

With three games left in the regular season, VSU faces three more conference opponents, and could put themselves in a slightly better position, but hosting a home playoff game is out of the picture.  

They face Union University on Saturday, Feb. 21, then travel to Montgomery, Alabama, to face Auburn Montgomery on the 25, before heading to Montevallo for their last game of the season on the 27.  

This Saturday marks the last home game of the season and Senior Day. VSU will hold a “blackout” during the game, so be sure to wear your black gear.  

Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Complex in Valdosta, Ga.