VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Lady Blazer basketball team flourished in the second half to outlast the resilient Faulkner Eagles for an 80-68 non-conference victory in Valdosta, Ga. at The Complex on Thursday night.
Faulkner posted an impressive first half effort, in which the Eagles shot 50 percent from long distance. Kayla Tillman led the three-point shooting display in the opening half with four of Faulkner's seven treys. As a result, Tillman finished the first half with a team-high 12 points and led the Eagles to a 39-38 lead at intermission.
Valdosta State made the necessary adjustments at the half and came out firing to outscore the Eagles 6-0 over the course of the first four minutes of the third quarter. Faulkner used a layup from Olivia Adamson and another bucket by Shelby Williams to close the gap back to two, but
Jazmyn McIntosh,
Madi Mitchell, and
Cassie Geopfert teamed up for five unanswered points at the free throw line during the next two minutes.
Sonya Franklin followed at the 2:30 mark with a layup for two of her team-high 15 points, and Geopfert sealed the quarter with a big three-ball during the final minute to put VSU on top 55-47.
After scoring just eight third-quarter points, Faulkner regrouped for a solid offensive performance in the closing quarter, but Mitchell sandwiched a pair of free throws between two
Aaliyah Cheatham three-pointers early in the frame to spread VSU's advantage to 67-51.
The Eagles put together a 12-6 run during the final three minutes, but it was too little too late, as the Lady Blazers were able to hang on for the double-digit victory.
Both Mitchell and Geopfert posted double-double performances with double figures in both the rebound and point columns. Mitchell racked up 13 points alongside 12 rebounds, while Geopfert secured 10 points and 10 rebounds on the night.
The contest marked the second of the season in which Valdosta State scored 75 points or more on offense and helped improve the Lady Blazers to 2-1 overall on the young season. Faulkner saw their record fall to 3-2.
Valdosta State will take to the road for the first time this season for a series of contests in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., beginning with a 2:00 p.m. matchup on Friday, November 25 at 2:00 p.m. vs. Nova Southeastern.
