VALDOSTA, Ga. – Behind four starters in double figures, the Valdosta State women's basketball team posted a 72-65 victory over visiting Shorter Saturday afternoon at The Complex.  With the win, VSU improved to 12-6 overall and 6-4 in Gulf South Conference play.  Seniors Sonya Franklin and Crystal Townsend each had 15 points to lead the team.
 
VSU shot 56.3 percent for the game on 27 of 48 from the field, while draining three triples and going 15 of 22 from the line.  The Lady Blazers held a 30-26 lead in rebounding, while owning a 44-36 lead in the paint.  The teams combined for 39 turnovers as VSU held a 16-15 lead in points off miscues. 
 
Franklin and Townsend were a combined 11 of 18 from the field, while Townsend went 5 of 6 from the line and Franklin was 2 of 2.  Townsend had a team-high six rebounds, while sophomore Kayla Bonilla added 13 points and senior Maddy Corazza went 6 of 12 from the field with two triples and 14 points.
 
Shorter was led by three players who accounted for 50 of team's 65 points as Jamilla Harrison and Jasmine Gaines each had 20 points and Raven Fair added ten.  Gaines was 6 of 11 from the field and 8 of 8 from the line, while Harrison was 7 of 10 from the floor, 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and 3 of 3 from the line.  The Hawks shot 44.4 percent on 24 of 54, while going 5 of 18 from range and 12 of 14 from the line. 
 
The Hawks had three leads in the first quarter, but a bucket from senior Jazmyn McIntosh with 34 seconds left in the frame gave VSU the lead back at 13-12.  An 8-0 run by the Blazers in the second pushed the lead to 23-14 capped with back-to-back triples.  Corazza buried a triple for a 27-16 lead as VSU opened the second quarter on a 16-4 run through the first five minutes.
 
Shorter buried a triple with 2:04 left in the half, pulling within 31-23 and Gaines scored in the paint for a 31-25 VSU lead at intermission.
 
Back-to-back buckets to begin the third pushed the VSU lead to ten and it swelled to 12 with a jumper from Townsend for a 37-25 lead with just over seven minutes left in the frame. The Lady Blazers pushed the lead to as many as 13 on a couple of occasions, but in the final 1:12 of the quarter, Shorter trimmed the margin to eight capped on three free throws at the buzzer on a foul for a 49-41 margin.
 
Shorter continued to chip away in the fourth and cut the deficit all the way to four at 68-64 with 16 seconds left, but Bonilla answered the call with four free throws to ice the game and a 72-65 win.
 
VSU returns to the road next week as it travels to Montevallo on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET with Spencer Van Horn having the call and will play at Auburn Montgomery on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.  The Lady Blazers return home to host Montevallo on Thurs., Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. at The Complex, before heading back on the road to open the month of February.  
 
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