ROME, Ga. – A nail-biting fourth quarter finish for Valdosta State was spoiled in overtime, as the Shorter Lady Hawks outscored the Lady Blazers 12-5 in the extra frame to claim a 63-56 Gulf South Conference win over Valdosta State in Rome, Ga. at the Winthrop-King Centre on Saturday afternoon.
In the opening quarter alone, the two teams exchanged ten lead changes before the Lady Blazers ended the quarter with a
Madi Mitchell buzzer beater from 15 feet to claim a 15-14 advantage.
Valdosta State went cold early in the second quarter, scoring just three points in the first five minutes of the frame, but recovered with key buckets during the final minutes of the first half. Mitchell struck again as the final seconds ticked away after
Aaliyah Cheatham drove the lane and kicked it back out to the top of the key, where Mitchell caught and fired for a three point basket at the buzzer that pulled VSU to within two points at 27-25.
The Lady Blazers best stretch of the afternoon came in the third quarter, when Valdosta State used a strong defensive effort to hold Shorter to just one field goal. Valdosta State used the opportunity to reclaim the lead in the quarter, but the Lady Hawks were able to stay close on free throw opportunities. 12 of Shorter's 24 points in the third and fourth quarters came on free throws, which resulted in a tight finish down the stretch in regulation.
Shorter Head Coach Vic Mitchell took a timeout with 15 seconds to play in fourth quarter after the Lady Hawks trimmed their deficit to one point. On the ensuing possession, Shakierya McClendon drove the lane and kicked to the corner, where Madison Rice got a wide open look and buried her only field goal of the afternoon, a three ball that put Shorter up 51-49. With five seconds remaining, Mitchell fired up an errant three point shot, but senior
Maggie Davis was there for the game-tying put back to send the contest to overtime.
Shorter's Taylor Adams fueled the Lady Hawks in the extra frame with several key rebounds, which led to a double-double effort that included 18 points and 18 rebounds overall. Seven of Adams' boards were of the offensive variety and padded Shorter's final number of 15 offensive rebounds in the game. As a result, the Lady Hawks scored 17 points on put backs alone.
Jo Bistrow reached double digit numbers again in the scoring column with ten points, as did Mitchell, who finished with a team high 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Turnovers proved to be the biggest factor, however, as Valdosta State coughed up the ball 17 times. Shorter capitalized on the opportunities to score 25 points off of Lady Blazer mistakes.
The loss dropped Valdosta State to 6-3 overall and evened up the team's GSC record at 2-2. Meanwhile, the Lady Hawks improved to 5-1 on the season and 2-1 against league opponents.
Valdosta State returns to Valdosta, Ga. next week to host the last two contests before the holiday break, beginning with a 6:00 p.m. showdown against the Lady Statesmen of Delta State on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. at The Complex.
