MERIDIAN, Miss. – The University of West Alabama men’s basketball team dropped a tough three-point decision to Valdosta State, 71-68, on Friday night at Graham Gymnasium, on the campus of Meridian Community College in Meridian, Miss.

The Tigers fell to 8-10 overall and 1-3 within Gulf South Conference activity. The Blazers of VSU moved to 15-3 and 3-1 in the GSC East.

UWA, who led 38-37 at the halftime break, came up short in the final second to send the game into an extra period, as a Chris Davis three-point attempt fell short. VSU built a seven point lead on multiple occasions in the second half. With just under five minutes left in the affair, the Blazers led 67-60 over the Tigers. The Red and White trimmed the lead down to 67-66 at the 1:10 mark, but could not get a key basket in the final minute. VSU connected on four free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

UWA placed four in double figures in scoring, led by senior Jamaine Nance and junior Lucas Hall. Both finished with 14 points in the setback. Junior Jason Swanson registered 13 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Swanson also dished out three assists in his 27 minutes of action. Junior Herman Mains added ten points off the bench.

The Tigers came out strong to open the game, building their largest lead at 16-5 on a Nance jumper at the 14:45 mark of the opening period. Nance also drove the lane for the go-ahead basket at the halftime break. As a team, UWA held VSU 10 points under its scoring average of 81 points per contest. VSU’s Tyrone Curnell led all Blazers with 13 points.

UWA returns to GSC activity on Sunday, Jan. 25, traveling to Pensacola, Fla. to face West Florida. Tip off is set for 4 p.m. at the UWF Fieldhouse. Due to scheduling conflicts, the game will not be aired on WJNZ 106.5 FM. A live stats link will be provided at athletics.uwa.edu.