THE BASICS:
SCORE:#23 Valdosta State 71, Fort Valley State 52
RECORDS:Valdosta State 1-0, Fort Valley State 0-1
LOCATION:Valdosta, Ga. (The Complex)
THE LEAD: Behind a career-high 19 points from senior Kendra Green leading three players in double figures, the No. 23-ranked Valdosta State women's basketball team opened the 2018-19 season with a 71-52 victory over visiting Fort Valley State Friday evening.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• In front of 606 fans for the second game of the Gulf South Conference/Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Regional Challenge, VSU raced out to a 12-2 lead through the first eight minutes of the first quarter.  
• During the run, senior Sonya Franklin, who sat out last season, nailed a triple for the first points of the season and Green scored in the paint for a 5-2 lead.
• Senior Maddy Corazza buried a triple for an 11-2 lead as VSU led 17-8 through the first quarter.
• VSU stretched lead to as many as 21 in the second quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 23-13 for the frame for a 40-21 lead at halftime as freshman Nadia Cathey buried a triple at the buzzer.
• VSU stretched the lead to 21 again in the third quarter at the 7:49 mark, but a 15-7 run by the Wildcats pulled FVSU within 13 at 52-39 with 1:42 left in the frame capped on a triple from Alicia Franklin.
• Once again, VSU had the answer at the buzzer as junior Nari Garder found the back of the net from downtown for a 55-39 lead.
• A Corazza jumper with 5:17 left pushed the lead to a then-game-high of 23 at 67-44 and senior Shon Kitchens buried a triple for a 71-46 lead with 4:32 left for the largest lead of the game.
• Things got a bit sloppy down the stretch as the Kitchens' triple was the final field goal of the game by VSU.
• Credit the VSU "D" to getting to missed shots as FVSU was unable to capitalize on the cold finish.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• In the first half, VSU shot 12 of 30 from the field and was 5 of 10 from range, while going 11 of 15 from the line.  
• Green had 13 points at half on 5 of 8 from the floor and two triples.
• The Lady Blazers forced FVSU into 16 turnovers in the first half and led 18-2 in points off turnovers for the half, while both teams tied in points in the paint, each with 14.
• FVSU's Nola Carter had 13 points at halftime for the Wildcats on 4 of 5 from the field and 4 of 6 from the line.  
• Green finished the game 7 of 12 from the field with two triples and was 3 of 5 from the line, along with four rebounds.
• Franklin finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, along with five assists, while Gardner had 12 points off the bench on two triples and 6 of 9 from the line. 
• The Lady Blazers shot 36.1 percent for the game on 22 of 61, but were 9 of 26 from beyond the arc (.346) and 18 of 31 from the line (.581).  
• Fort Valley State shot 36 percent on 18 of 50, while going just 3 of 20 from range and 13 of 26 from the line.  
• VSU dominated the glass to the tune of 52-33 in rebounding and 18-7 on the offensive end, but just led 14-12 in second chance points. 
• The Lady Blazers forced 22 miscues and led 23-2 in points off turnovers.
• Carter had a team-high 17 points for the Wildcats, while A. Franklin had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for FVSU.

 
UP NEXT:

• The Lady Blazers face Albany State (0-1) Saturday at 2 p.m., while Fort Valley State faces West Florida (1-0) at 12 p.m. to conclude the Regional Challenge.
• The VSU game will only have live stats tomorrow afternoon.
• Check back with vstateblazers.com for a complete recap of the game.