VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Lady Blazers picked up their third straight victory and simultaneously snapped a West Florida seven-game winning streak with a 61-55 win over the Argonauts in Gulf South Conference women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at The Complex in Valdosta, Ga.
 
The Argonauts, who entered Saturday's contest tied for first place in the GSC, fell to 10-5 overall and 8-3 in conference play following the loss, while the red hot Lady Blazers lifted their record to 9-7 overall and improved to 5-6 in conference play.
 
After forcing UWF's starting center, Kelly Preston, to the bench with two quick first quarter fouls, the Lady Blazers took advantage of the opportunity and strung together a 22-10 run that lasted throughout the rest of the first half.
 
Valdosta State's stellar first half effort included a 41.9 percent shooting performance from the field, and the Lady Blazers spread five three pointers out among four different players to open up a 34-19 advantage before the halftime buzzer sounded.
 
The Argonauts came roaring back in the third quarter and outscored the Lady Blazers 20-9 to cut the deficit to four points at 43-39. Valdosta State weathered the storm, however, and sophomore Madi Mitchell hit a quick bucket in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter to spark a strong final quarter for the Lady Blazers, in which VSU outscored the defending GSC champs 18-16.
 
Aaliyah Cheatham lit it up in the first half for Valdosta State with a 50 percent, 4-of-8 shooting display that consisted of two challenging close range shots and a pair of three balls. Cheatham's performance fueled VSU's critical first half surge and represented the front end of an impressive offensive outing that resulted in a team-high 18 points for the freshman.
 
The two teams matched each other closely across the board statistically, but free throw shooting proved to be the difference, as Valdosta State shot 75 percent from the charity stripe. In contrast, the Argonauts missed eight of 17 attempts (52.9 percent) from the line.
 
Valdosta State will have a chance to extend their current streak to four next Thursday, as the Lady Blazers begin a two-game road stretch against the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers at 6:30 p.m. EST in Huntsville, Ala.