VALDOSTA, Ga. - After starting the game with just 10 first quarter points, Valdosta State finished strong with 32 in the final frame to claim an 85-74 victory over the West Alabama Tigers in Gulf South Conference action on Monday night at The Complex.
The Tigers jumped all over the Lady Blazers in the first half and used a tremendous shooting effort in the first two periods to open up a 19-point lead midway through the second quarter. Despite a 48.5 percent (16-of-33) shooting performance from the field and 50.0 percent (4-of-8) effort from the three point line in the first half by the Tigers, however, Valdosta State weathered the storm and used a 13-5 run down the stretch to pull to within an 11-point, 42-31 deficit at the break.
In the second half, VSU flipped a switch on both sides of the ball. The Lady Blazer defense locked down on the Tiger defense, allowing just nine points in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Valdosta State began an offensive surge that resulted in 54 second half points.
"The difference between the first and second half was 100-percent our defense," said Head Coach
Carley Kuhns after the win. "I didn't think we played very good defense in the first half, but we really picked it up in the second half and limited their chances in that third quarter. Our players came out of halftime and executed our game plan perfectly. We chipped away and chipped away, and I'm really proud of them tonight."
Valdosta State saw contributions from the top of their roster to the bottom, while
Madi Mitchell and
Aaliyah Cheatham led the way offensively with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Mitchell's point total lifted the third-year Blazer to 990 career points, placing the senior just 10 points away from becoming VSU's 26th 1,000-point scorer.
Perhaps the biggest spark of the game came from freshman
Kayla Bonilla. The fiery 5'0" guard helped fuel the comeback for the red and black with several key plays on both ends of the floor, including a play in which she scored a bucket and drew a foul for a three point play during the final five minutes of the game.
"Cheatham really put us on her back and carried us with some big shots in the first half, and then Kayla came in and just gave us that spark," added Kuhns. "She's so fast and so much fun to watch. She plays with a great deal of energy, and she really made some big plays for us tonight in a tight game, especially as a freshman. I'm getting facebook messages and emails left and right from people who are talking about how much they're enjoying watching her play, and how can you not? She plays hard and she loves the game, and that's what we ask out of all of our players."
With the win, Valdosta State improved to 8-3 on the season and lifted their GSC record above .500 at 2-1. The Tigers, meanwhile, fell to 5-7 overall and 2-3 against league opponents.
Valdosta State will now head into a brief hiatus, before the season resumes in 2018 with a road matchup against Lee in Cleveland, Tenn. on January 2nd. Full coverage of the event will be provided via links at www.vstateblazers.com.
