VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Lady Bulldogs of Union University used a career performance by senior Amy Philamlee to outlast the Valdosta State Lady Blazers and claim a 71-56 win at The Complex in Gulf South Conference women's basketball action on Monday night in Valdosta, Ga..
VSU fell to 8-6 overall and evened up their GSC record at 4-4 following the loss. Meanwhile, the Lady Bulldogs improved to 10-2, 6-2 in league play.
The Lady Blazers fell behind out of the gate after Philamlee, the GSC's leading scorer with an average of 22.3 points per game, opened up the scoring with a three ball from well beyond the arc.
Union scored seven points in the first four minutes, but
Imari Simpson and
April Thomas teamed up to keep the score tight with three layups. Trailing 7-6 after the first five minutes of the contest, Valdosta State used two long balls by Thomas and freshman
Jo Bistrow to open up a 12-7 advantage at the 13:29 mark.
The Lady Bulldogs proceeded to string together a 7-0 run over the course of the ensuing three minutes, but Bistrow connected from long range again at the 8:52 mark to give the Lady Blazers a 15-14 lead. The teams traded the lead four times over the next five minutes, but three buckets for the Lady Blazers in the closing minutes of the first period opened up a 25-21 advantage for VSU at the break.
The second half belonged to the Lady Bulldogs, who reclaimed the lead at the 15:11 mark on a three pointer by Kelsey Risner. Valdosta State hung around for the remainder of the second half, but were never able to reclaim the lead and saw Union spread their lead to double-digits by the end of the contest.
Philamlee finished the night with career high of 35 points to go along with eight assists. The senior shot 12-of-19 from the field and 7-of-12 from the free throw line. Her long range shooting effort proved to be a thorn in the side of the Lady Blazers all night, as she connected for four of ten attempted three pointers while also hauling in four rebounds. The guard's shooting highlighted a 45.8 team shooting percentage on the night and a 62.1 percentage in the second half.
Maggie Davis just missed a double-double after posting nine points and 11 rebounds, while Thomas led all VSU scorers with 17 points.
Next up for Valdosta State is a road trip beginning in Carrollton, Ga. against the West Georgia Wolves on Saturday, January 10. The game is slated for a 2:00 p.m. EST start and can be followed live right here at www.vstateblazers.com.
