Box Score JACKSON, Tenn. – The Valdosta State women's basketball team started off hot but fizzled out in the second half, as the Lady Bulldogs of Union captured a 69-46 Gulf South Conference victory on Monday night in Jackson, Tenn.
The loss forced VSU to drop their overall team record to 6-7 and 2-6 in conference play. Meanwhile, the No. 14 ranked Lady Bulldogs advanced their record to 12-2 and 6-2 in GSC play.
The first quarter consisted of a three-point shootout, as Valdosta State fired away from behind the arc to produce 3-of-8 from long range, while Union went on to knock down 3-of-6. Each team shot 50.0 percent overall on offense in the quarter, however the Lady Bulldogs narrowly outscored VSU to hold 17-15 advantage at the end of the first frame.
Valdosta State came out on fire in the second period, as
Lydia Harvey opened with a bang by drilling her second three-pointer to set the tone. Harvey finished the first half with a 60.0 shooting percentage from three-point range to produce nine of her 15 points on the night. Harvey's shooting effort represented three of seven three pointers by VSU in the first half, which helped the Lady Blazers remain within striking distance, trailing by four at 31-27.
Union came out with guns blazing in the second half to outscore VSU 22-9 in the third quarter. The Lady Bulldogs locked down on defense to hold the Lady Blazers to only two points over the course of six minutes, and freshman Jada Perkins fueled Union on offense with seven third quarter points.
Union continued to widen the gap with the efforts of Kelsey Risner in the final minutes. Risner led the Lady Bulldogs with a double-double performance that included 12 points and 10 rebounds, while a total of four Lady Bulldogs reached double-digit numbers.
For Valdosta State,
Madi Mitchell and Harvey each churned out 15 points apiece. In addition,
Maddy Corazza grabbed five boards to lead the team in rebounds.
The Lady Blazers will return home to The Complex on Saturday afternoon in Valdosta, Ga., where they will face the Wolves of West Georgia in a GSC showdown. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and full coverage will be available at www.vstateblazers.com.
