VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Lady Blazers made a statement on New Year's Eve, as they handed top-ranked North Alabama their first loss of the season with a 76-69 Gulf South Conference victory in Valdosta, Ga. on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, VSU improved to 6-4 overall and 3-1 in conference play. Meanwhile, the Lions fell to 9-1 on the season and 3-1 in league action.
Sonya Franklin fueled the Lady Blazer's success all afternoon, particularly early in the second half, when she scored the first eight of Valdosta State's 18 third-quarter points. The stretch provided a snapshot of an effort by Franklin that led to a career-high 28 points, and it helped VSU outscore the Lions by three points in the quarter for a 50-47 lead heading into the final frame.
"Drives into the lane were really working well for us today," said Franklin after the win. "Coach [Carley] Kuhns gave me the green light, and I was trying to take those opportunities every time I could."
"Offensively, it was all about attacking off the dribble," added Kuhns. "We knew they were a little bit undersized, so we wanted to go right to the rim. Sonya made the right reads all afternoon. She attacked when she needed to, and she passed when she needed to."
The Lady Blazers, who came into Saturday's matchup averaging over 21 points in the fourth quarter, held true to form and put up 26 points over UNA's 22 points in the fourth quarter to knock off the Lions.
North Alabama keyed in on VSU's leading scorer,
Madi Mitchell, and held her to eight points on the night. Mitchell made her presence known on the boards, however, and matched
Kenya Samone' Dixon for a team-high 12 rebounds.
Valdosta State's guards helped alleviate the pressure on Mitchell, as
Aaliyah Cheatham and Samone' Dixon complemented Franklin's production with 16 points each.
"We had several kids step up today," said Kuhns. "They completely tried to take Madi out of the ballgame, but three other girls stepped up. That's what is going to make us so dangerous moving forward. Night in and night out, we have four to five weapons, and they are gaining confidence with each passing game."
The Lady Blazer defense also executed their game plan well and held the team's top scorer, Ivy Wallen, in check. Wallen entered the game as the second-best scorer in the GSC with an average of over 21 points per game. She scored just nine points in Saturday's loss.
Valdosta State will put their three-game winning streak on the line on Monday night at 6:00 p.m. at The Complex in another conference showdown against the visiting Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville.
