NCAA SELECTION SHOW - 10:00 p.m. EST
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The 2017 Women's Basketball Gulf South Conference Championship game took an extra period to determine a winner, but the Valdosta State Lady Blazers, who were picked to finish ninth at the beginning of the season, held the trophy in the end after a 91-79 upset over the top-seeded West Florida Argonauts on Sunday afternoon in Birmingham, Ala.
"Words can't express the excitement of winning a championship," said an elated Head Coach
Carley Kuhns after the thrilling victory. "There are so many things that have to go right for that to happen. We talked a lot throughout the season of how it's a process and how we just needed to try and continue to get better and better as the season went along. I told our girls before the game that I felt like we were the hottest team in the conference right now, so why not us? I'm so proud of them."
Valdosta State opened up the game with one of their most efficient quarters of the season, scoring 26 points with the help of a 5-for-8 shooting effort from beyond the three point line. The Argonauts weathered the early storm, however, and with a Katie Bobos layup at the 7:55 mark in the second period, UWF tied the contest up for the first time of the afternoon.
The Argonauts used the second quarter momentum to outscore the Lady Blazers 23-16 in the frame, resulting in a narrow 45-42 lead for West Florida at the break.
The offensive slugfest continued in the second half, as the two teams exchanged buckets in the first 30 seconds of the third quarter.
Maddy Corazza connected on a layup at the 8:17 mark, however, and the bucket sparked a 13-9 run throughout the remainder of the third quarter, which helped push the Lady Blazers out to a 61-58 lead.
In the fourth, the Argonauts tied the game up three different times throughout the quarter, and Shami Goodman's three pointer within the final 30 seconds was enough to send the game to overtime. The Lady Blazers never faltered, however, and a 13-1 run during the extra frame sealed the first GSC Championship for the Valdosta State women's program since 1984, one year before Kuhns was born.
"Obviously, this feels in incredible," said forward
Madi Mitchell, who was named the GSC Tournament MVP following the game after matching her career high with 28 points. "We worked so hard all year, and every game plan that Coach Kuhns has supplied us with has been spot on. Today, we were so well-prepared. We know we're dangerous because we have so many weapons, and this win shows how far we've come this year."
The victory secured a spot in the NCAA National Tournament, and all eyes will be on the
NCAA Selection Show tonight at 10:00 p.m. EST, when the NCAA will announce the seeding and hosting location for the upcoming South Region Tournament.
"I wasn't sure that it would happen this quickly from day one," added Kuhns when asked about her goal to win championships at Valdosta State. "Once I started seeing our team come together, and I began to see how many weapons we had, I knew it was possible for us to have a really great season. We've had some really big wins this year, and we've done some great things as a team. Once we got into February, I knew this was a possibility for us. We can play with any team in this conference, and we proved it today."
Aaliyah Cheatham added 20 points in the game on 6-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc, and Samone' Dixon poured in 19 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter. Both Mitchell and
Kenya Samone' Dixon racked up double-digits in the rebound column, which led them both to double-doubles on the afternoon and a spot for each on the All-Tournament Team.
Be sure to catch the selection show tonight at 10:00 p.m. by following the link at the top of the page.
