Women's Basketball 1/24/2018 9:52:00 PM

Women's Basketball Preview: Alabama-Huntsville/North Alabama

VALDOSTA STATE at ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE
WHAT: Gulf South Conference Women's Basketball WHEN: Thursday, January 25th, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. EST WHERE: Huntsville, Ala. - Kelly Court at Spragins Hall Audio Link \| Video Link \| Stats Link \| Game Notes

VALDOSTA STATE at No. 22 NORTH ALABAMA
WHAT: Gulf South Conference Women's Basketball WHEN: Saturday, January 27th, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. EST WHERE: Florence, Ala. - Flowers Hall Audio Link \| Video Link \| Stats Link \| Game Notes

VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS 13-6, 7-4 GSC NEWS \| SCHEDULE \| STATISTICS \| ROSTER
GAINING MOMENTUM - The Lady Blazers enter the weekend off of two key Gulf South Conference victories over Auburn Montgomery and West Georgia last weekend in Valdosta. The Lady Blazers are a perfect 10-0 at home on the season, but positive results have been harder to come by. The Lady Blazers will aim to alleviate their road woes against two tough opponents, beginning with a Huntsville team that has also seen success at home with a 6-3 record at Spragins Hall. STRONG AT THE STRIPE - Valdosta State has seen tremendous success at the free throw line so far this season. With a team shooting percentage of 76.4 percent at the stripe, the Lady Blazers currently lead the league in free throw shooting. Nine of the 13 players who have earned minutes for VSU this season are shooting above 70 percent at the free throw line, while seniors Kenya Samone' Dixon and Madi Mitchell lead the way individually with percentages of 83.0 and 80.7, respectively. Madi Mitchell ranks fourth in the GSC among shooters who are averaging at least 2.5 free throws per game. ELITE STATUS - Senior Madi Mitchell connected on a short baseline jumper in the second quarter of VSU's win over Shorter a few weeks back to become the newest member of the Lady Blazer basketball 1,000-point club. The achievement made Mitchell just the 26th Lady Blazer in VSU women's basketball history to reach the milestone. Mitchell currently ranks third in the Gulf South Conference in scoring with an average of 18.3 points per game. Mitchell has scored 20-plus points in four of VSU's last five game. She also ranks fifth in the league in rebounding with an average of 8.9 per game.

VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS

13-6, 7-4 GSC
NEWS | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS | ROSTER

GAINING MOMENTUM - The Lady Blazers enter the weekend off of two key Gulf South Conference victories over Auburn Montgomery and West Georgia last weekend in Valdosta. The Lady Blazers are a perfect 10-0 at home on the season, but positive results have been harder to come by. The Lady Blazers will aim to alleviate their road woes against two tough opponents, beginning with a Huntsville team that has also seen success at home with a 6-3 record at Spragins Hall.
STRONG AT THE STRIPE - Valdosta State has seen tremendous success at the free throw line so far this season. With a team shooting percentage of 76.4 percent at the stripe, the Lady Blazers currently lead the league in free throw shooting. Nine of the 13 players who have earned minutes for VSU this season are shooting above 70 percent at the free throw line, while seniors Kenya Samone' Dixon and Madi Mitchell lead the way individually with percentages of 83.0 and 80.7, respectively. Madi Mitchell ranks fourth in the GSC among shooters who are averaging at least 2.5 free throws per game.
ELITE STATUS - Senior Madi Mitchell connected on a short baseline jumper in the second quarter of VSU's win over Shorter a few weeks back to become the newest member of the Lady Blazer basketball 1,000-point club. The achievement made Mitchell just the 26th Lady Blazer in VSU women's basketball history to reach the milestone. Mitchell currently ranks third in the Gulf South Conference in scoring with an average of 18.3 points per game. Mitchell has scored 20-plus points in four of VSU's last five game. She also ranks fifth in the league in rebounding with an average of 8.9 per game.

ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE CHARGERS 11-7, 5-6 GSC NEWS \| SCHEDULE \| STATISTICS \| ROSTER
SERIES HISTORY - Valdosta State holds a significant edge in the all-time series between the two programs with a 36-14 edge. During Head Coach Carley Kuhns' first season with the Lady Blazers last year, VSU took UAH down twice and outscored the Lady Chargers 140-114 on the season. JOCKEYING FOR POSITION - Only two games separate fourth through 10th place in the current GSC standings. Alabama-Huntsville is currently in a tie for eighth place with West Alabama. LAST TIME OUT - The Chargers will face VSU on the heels of their biggest win of the year, an overtime upset win over the nationally ranked North Alabama Lions. The 87-81 victory snapped a three game skid for the Chargers, during which the team fell to Union, Auburn Montgomery, and West Georgia.

ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE CHARGERS

11-7, 5-6 GSC
NEWS | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS | ROSTER

SERIES HISTORY - Valdosta State holds a significant edge in the all-time series between the two programs with a 36-14 edge. During Head Coach Carley Kuhns' first season with the Lady Blazers last year, VSU took UAH down twice and outscored the Lady Chargers 140-114 on the season.
JOCKEYING FOR POSITION - Only two games separate fourth through 10th place in the current GSC standings. Alabama-Huntsville is currently in a tie for eighth place with West Alabama.
LAST TIME OUT - The Chargers will face VSU on the heels of their biggest win of the year, an overtime upset win over the nationally ranked North Alabama Lions. The 87-81 victory snapped a three game skid for the Chargers, during which the team fell to Union, Auburn Montgomery, and West Georgia.

NORTH ALABAMA 16-2, 9-2 GSC NEWS \| SCHEDULE \| STATISTICS \| ROSTER
SERIES HISTORY - The Lady Blazers have seen success throughout the longstanding rivalry against UNA. Valdosta State holds a 37-33 series advantage, and the two teams split with home wins for each respective team last season. The last matchup between the two teams led to a lopsided 70-52 win for UNA at Flowers Hall. OFFENSIVE THREAT - The Lions have been a scoring machine this season and are currently ranked 5th in the nation in scoring with an average of 84.2 points per game. North Alabama also ranks nationally in fifth place in scoring margin after having outscored opponents by an average of 24.8 points per game. LAST TIME OUT - The Lions were upset on the road by the Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville in their last outing. The loss marked just the second of the season for the Lions, but UNA maintained position among the nation's top 25 in the latest WBCA rankings. UNA's only other loss came on their home floor at the hands of the No. 12 ranked Union Lady Bulldogs.

NORTH ALABAMA

16-2, 9-2 GSC
NEWS | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS | ROSTER

SERIES HISTORY - The Lady Blazers have seen success throughout the longstanding rivalry against UNA. Valdosta State holds a 37-33 series advantage, and the two teams split with home wins for each respective team last season. The last matchup between the two teams led to a lopsided 70-52 win for UNA at Flowers Hall.
OFFENSIVE THREAT - The Lions have been a scoring machine this season and are currently ranked 5th in the nation in scoring with an average of 84.2 points per game. North Alabama also ranks nationally in fifth place in scoring margin after having outscored opponents by an average of 24.8 points per game.
LAST TIME OUT - The Lions were upset on the road by the Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville in their last outing. The loss marked just the second of the season for the Lions, but UNA maintained position among the nation's top 25 in the latest WBCA rankings. UNA's only other loss came on their home floor at the hands of the No. 12 ranked Union Lady Bulldogs.

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Players Mentioned

#15 Madi Mitchell: F; 6' 1"; Senior

#34 Kenya Samone' Dixon: F; 5' 9"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#15 Madi Mitchell
: 6' 1"; Senior
: F

#34 Kenya Samone' Dixon
: 5' 9"; Senior
: F

Players Mentioned

#15 Madi Mitchell

#34 Kenya Samone' Dixon

Players Mentioned

#15 Madi Mitchell

#34 Kenya Samone' Dixon