SOUTHAVEN – Valdosta State University took advantage of their size and athleticism down the stretch in Saturday's Gulf South Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, downing Delta State University, 78-61, at the DeSoto Civic Center. 

“Our guys fought it all night, but we couldn't find a rhythm on offense at times and that cost us in the end. The rebounding effort was much better in the second half, but VSU just made a run late,” said Statesmen head coach Jason Conner. “The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Sunday, and I believe our body of work deserves a shot.” 

The Statesmen, who trailed by as many as 18 in the game, finally cut the second half lead to eight with 9:08 remaining on a pair of David Clark free throws. 

Two tough calls on the next two VSU possessions allowed the Blazers to extend their lead back out to 11 with three free throws, 57-46, with 8:35 left. 

The Blazers caught fire after DSU failed to convert on their next two possessions, and outscored the Statesmen 23-15 down the stretch for the 78-61 victory. The Blazers advance to take on Arkansas Tech, who defeated Harding earlier on Saturday 73-63, Sunday in the championship game of the GSC Tournament at 2:45 p.m. on GSC-TV Live. 

The first half Saturday in the semifinal showdown between the Statesmen and Blazers belonged to Valdosta State. For the first 20 minutes of the game, the Blazers took advantage of their bigger size outscoring the Statesmen by 15 en route to a 39-24 lead at the half. 

The Statesmen couldn't find an offensive rhythm, connecting on just 36 percent of their attempts (9-of-25) and missing their only three-point attempt of the half. 

The Blazers fared much better, hitting on 51.9 percent of their shots (14-of-27), including 3-of-10 from three-point range and 8-of-12 from the line. 

David Clark led DSU with 10 points at the break, while VSU's Tyrone Curnell dropped in eight. 

Delta State finished the game shooting 35.6 percent on 21-of-59 attempts, and connected on just 16.7 percent from three-point range on 2-of-12 attempts. VSU shot 50 percent on 24-of-48 shooting, including a blistering 79.4 percent on 27-of-34 shooting. 

The Statesmen out-rebounded the Blazers 38-32, but VSU scored 16 points off 12 turnovers. 

David Clark finished with 16 points and seven boards to lead the Statesmen. Eric Spencer dropped in 14 points and cleared six rebounds, while Arian Maliqi grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds and chipped in seven points. 

VSU placed three players in double figures, led by Tyrone Curnell's game-high 18 points. Ricardo Lewis added 15. 

The Statesmen (21-8), who have not participated in the NCAA Tournament since 2005-06, will await the NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament selection announcement on Sunday at 8 p.m. CST. The announcement will be broadcast live on www.NCAA.com and a link will be posted on DSU's official athletic website, www.GoStatesmen.com.