HUNTSVILLE | In an instant classic between the top two teams in the Gulf South Conference, No. 25 Valdosta State prevailed in overtime by an 84-81 margin over the 19th-ranked University of Alabama in Huntsville men's basketball team at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall on Thursday night. The Chargers slip to 19-6 (14-4 GSC) with the setback, while VSU improves to 21-4 (16-3 GSC).
 
Turning Point
-Beau Justice hit a game-tying 3-pointer just before the end of regulation and then scored five of VSU's nine points in overtime, while Jeremiah Hill's layup with 15 seconds left in the extra period lifted Valdosta State ahead for good. UAH then turned the ball over, leading to Damian Young's dunk that sealed the contest at 84-81.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Seab Webster turned in a terrific performance in the Chargers, scoring 35 – including 27 in the second half and overtime – on the strength of 11 field goals of which five were 3-pointers and an 8-for-8 night at the charity stripe. For good measure, he also grabbed a team-best nine rebounds.
-Joining Webster in double figures were Brandon Roberts and Troy Saxton who had 16 and 14, respectively.
-Saxton also dished out six assists, matched Webster with nine boards, and picked up three steals.
-VSU was paced by Young who scored 20, while both Hill and Justin Simon had double-doubles.
-For the contest, UAH shot 46.9 percent from the floor, while VSU connected on 45.8 percent of its attempts.
-The Blazers won the rebounding battle by a 41-34 margin, and the guests grabbed 12 offensive rebounds to hold a key 18-7 edge in second-chance points.
 
Inside the Flow
-The Chargers electrified the large Spragins Hall crowd by roaring out of the gates to a 10-0 lead before the game was even two minutes old, but later in the half, Valdosta State ripped off a 15-0 run to erase a nine-point deficit and go in front 27-21 with 7:55 left in the period.
-UAH would whittle the gap down to as few as two before the Blazers carried a 39-31 lead into the halftime break.
-The lead would be that same eight-point margin at 48-40 at the 16:18 mark, but the Chargers then outscored VSU 17-7 over the next 5:41, a run that was punctuated by a Tanner Finley dunk that put the home team up 57-55 with 11:41 left in regulation.
-The game then would be tied five times with the lead being exchanged on three occasions over the next eight minutes, but after VSU went up 69-63 with four minutes remaining, the Chargers would go on an 8-0 run with another Finley dunk putting the Chargers up 71-69 with 2:35 on the clock.
-UAH would then go up by three when Webster made a pair of free throws with nine seconds left before Justice tied it to make it 75-75 going into overtime.
-In overtime, Webster scored his last points with 3:24 remaining to make it 79-78 in favor of the Chargers, but neither team would score again until Justice made a layup fall with 32 seconds left.
-That was the first of three lead changes in the final minute as Kip Owens scored on the next possession to put UAH ahead by one before Hill pushed the Blazers ahead for good on VSU's next trip down the floor.
 
Noteworthy
-The 35-point showing for Webster is the senior's second-best of the year – and his career – as it was just three points show of his personal-best 38 which he scored against Union on Jan. 7.
-Thursday's contest marks the second time this year that UAH has gone to overtime, and the team is now 1-1 in games that require extra minutes.
-The Chargers were 8-for-27 from 3-point land, snapping what had been an eight-game streak in which the team had recorded at least 10 triples.
 
Next Time Out
-The Chargers will look to rebound when West Florida – winner of six of its last seven – visits Spragins Hall on Saturday at 4 p.m. Prior to the contest, UAH will honor its five seniors in a Senior Day ceremony.