VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Lady Blazers of Valdosta State welcome a quick opportunity to rebound from a tough, one-point conference loss on Saturday night with another Gulf South Conference matchup on Monday, this time against the visiting Lady Bulldogs of Union.
The task will be a tall one for the Lady Blazers (8-5, 4-3), as the Lady Bulldogs bring a 9-2 overall record to Titletown along with a 5-2 record in GSC play. One of those two losses came over the weekend in Pensacola, Fla. against the West Florida Argonauts, who snatched the league's top spot from Union with Saturday night's lopsided 78-61 victory.
Union ranks among the league's best in a plethora of offensive categories, including scoring offense (79.5 ppg), scoring margin (+11.5), free throw percentage (75.7), field goal percentage (44.3), three point field goals made (119), and assist/turnover ratio (1.39).
The Union offense has been fueled all season long by the lethal shooting of Amy Philamlee, who leads the GSC with an average of 22.3 points per game. The guard ranks third in the conference with a 50.9 shooting percentage from the field, and she holds the second place position in three point shooting with a percentage of 43.8. Philamlee is the reigning GSC Player of the Week, and is the only player in the conference to currently average more than 20 points per game.
Although the Lady Bulldogs currently top the league in free throw shooting, the Lady Blazers' shooting efforts from the stripe have been on the rise as of late. Valdosta State has seen a slew of opportunities from the line during their past two games, and the team has made the most of those opportunities. Against Mississippi College, the Lady Blazers connected for 25 free throws in 35 attempts for a 71.4 percentage, and in Saturday's loss, VSU hit 23 shots in 31 attempts from the free throw line for a 74.2 percentage. In Valdosta State's 13 games, the team has shot 70 percent or better in six of those games.
The Lady Blazers enter Monday night's contest tied with Alabama-Huntsville and Lee for third place in the GSC standings, while the Lady Bulldogs stand in second place outright behind UWF, the defending GSC champions.
Lady Blazer fans can purchase tickets for Monday night's game at the gate, and the game can be followed live via audio, video, and live stat links, all available both below and on the main page at www.vstateblazers.com. Also, don't forget to follow us on Twitter to stay up to date regarding all things Blazer Athletics. Find us by searching for the Twitter handle @BlazerAthletics.
