VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's basketball team returns home for four games in seven days.  The Lady Blazers are 7-1 on the year and 1-1 in Gulf South Conference play as they open the homestand Sunday at 2 p.m. versus Alabama Huntsville and then battles No. 5 Lee University Tuesday at 6 p.m.  VSU then will host Thomas University Thursday at 6 p.m., and finish with Lenoir-Rhyne on Sat., Dec. 21, at 2 p.m.  
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com on the women's basketball schedule page.  The conference games against UAH and Lee will be broadcast on 92.1 WDDQ FM with Mike Chason having the call.  
 
In the national rankings, Lee is ranked fifth in the latest WBCA Top 25, while Lee also is fifth in the D2SIDA Women's Basketball Top 25.  VSU sits 18^th in the D2SIDA poll this week, while it isn't ranked or receiving votes in the WBCA Top 25.  Lee leads the D2SIDA South Region rankings, garnering all six, first-place votes, while VSU is second in the region poll.  
 
The Lady Blazers are coming off a 59-50 win at Georgia College last Saturday.  VSU was led by 14 points from senior Nari Garner leading four players in double figures.  Junior Abby Rouse narrowly missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, while senior Cheray Saunders and junior Kayla Bonilla each added 11 points.  VSU held GCSU to just 30 percent shooting for the game and outscored the Bobcats 36-29 in the second half after leading 23-21 at intermission.  VSU is under the direction of first-year head coach Deandra Schirmer.
 
For the season, the Lady Blazers are shooting .413 from the field on 206 of 499, while going 47 of 152 from range (.309) and 123 of 166 from the line (.741).  The team is averaging 72.8 points per game and allowing 60.9 per contest.  VSU is averaging 38.8 rebounds per game and allowing 41.5, while teams are shooting .369 against the Lady Blazers (181 of 493) and .289 from beyond the arc (46 of 159). 
 
Individually, Bonilla leads the team averaging 19.3 points per game on 40 of 87 from the field (.460) and 28 of 32 from the line (.875).  Saunders is second in scoring at 17.0 points per game on 47 of 95 from the field (.475), while she has made a team-high 39 free throws in 53 attempts for a .736 clip.  Saunders leads the team with 23 assists and 26 steals, while averaging a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game.   Garner is third in scoring at 10.1 points per game as she leads the team with 14 made triples in 37 attempts and is 27 of 68 from the floor.
 
Nationally speaking, VSU leads the league in free throw percentage at a 74.1 clip for the season, while Saunders is 26^thnationally in both free throw attempts (53) and free throw makes (39).  She is 19^th nationally in steals with 26 to lead the GSC, while ranking 23^rd nationally in steals per game at 3.25 for tops in the league. Bonilla is third in the GSC in free throw percentage at a .875 clip, while she is 27^th in points per game at 19.3 to lead the conference.  
 
UAH enters with a 3-4 record overall and a 1-1 mark in league play.  The Chargers lost to West Georgia in the conference opener 82-78 and downed Auburn Montgomery 77-39.  Most recently, the Chargers dropped a 74-57 exhibition game at Division I Alabama-Birmingham on Nov. 27.  The Chargers are shooting .383 from the field and .277 from beyond the arc, while shooting .624 from the line for the season.  UAH is averaging 70.1 points per game and allowing 72.4 per contest, while averaging 40.1 rebounds per game.  Teams are shooting .416 against the Chargers this season and .400 from downtown.  
 
Aryn Sanders leads the team averaging 16.0 points per game in seven starts.  She is 38 of 91 from the field (.418) and 35 of 53 from the line (.660) as she is second in the GSC in free throws made and third in free throws attempted, while averaging a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game.  She is third in the GSC in steals per game at 2.71 and fifth in total steals with 19.  Holly Harris is second in scoring at 12.9 points per game and second in 3-pointers with 17, while Selena Pruitt leads the team with 18 made treys and third in scoring at 11.9 points per game.  She is second in the GSC in 3-point field goal percentage at a .450 clip. 
 
The Chargers are under the direction of sixth-year head coach Andrea Lemmond, who is 61-83 during her tenure at UAH.  Lemmond's squad is 16^th nationally and second in the league in fewest turnovers with 89, while the Chargers are 15^th nationally and first in the league in turnovers per game at 12.7.  
 
Lee is ranked No. 7 in the latest rankings and is the lone unbeaten team in the GSC at 10-0.  The Flames are 2-0 in conference play and matched the program-best record of 10-0 set in the 1998-99 season with a 75-61 win over Lander last Wednesday.  The Flames will play at West Florida before heading to Titletown for next Tuesday's matchup with VSU.  
 
The Flames are shooting .451 from the field for the season on 292 of 647, while going 68 of 234 from range (.291) and 127 of 176 (.722) from the line.  Lee is averaging 77.9 points per game, allowing 54.4 points per game, while pulling down 42.8 rebounds per game.  Conversely, Lee is holding teams to .326 from the field, .285 from beyond the arc and the opposition is averaging 31.0 rebounds per game. 
 
Individually, Abby Bertram leads the team averaging 14.3 points per game as she his 58 of 127 from the field (.457) and 15 of 54 from beyond the arc for second on the team.  Bertram has a team-high 23 steals in ten games.  Haley Schubert is second in scoring at 10.9 points per game.  She is 33 of 73 from the field and 17 of 21 from the line to lead the team.  She is second in assists with 23 and second in steals with 16.  Taylor Boggess leads the team with 19 triples and is third in scoring at 9.4 points per game, while Becca Cheeks leads the team averaging 4.9 rebounds per game.  
 
Thomas University is 0-7 on the year and 0-5 in the Sun Conference.  Thomas hosts Trinity Baptist (Fla.) on Dec. 16, before heading to Valdosta for next Thursday's matchup.  The Night Hawks are averaging 52.3 points per game and allowing 74.5 points per contest this season.  The team is shooting .346 from the field on 121 of 350, while going 22 of 106 from range and 50 of 74 from the line.  TU is averaging 30.3 rebounds per game. Individually Samantha Gilbert is averaging 13.0 points per game on 28 of 78 from the field.  Dymon Brown leads the team with nine made triples and second in scoring at 9.3 points per game.  Alisha Clayton leads the team averaging 7.7 rebounds per game.  
 
Lenoir-Rhyne is 2-6 on the year and will play at No. 16 Anderson on Saturday, Dec. 14 and at Lincoln Memorial on Dec. 18, prior to heading to Valdosta for the Dec. 21 matchup.  The Bears have lost four-straight games and have wins this season over Lees-McRae (N.C.) and South Carolina-Aiken. 
 
Following the Christmas break, VSU will return to action Jan. 2, 2020, at 6 p.m. in The Complex versus rival West Florida.