VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's basketball team, fresh off two wins last week, returns to the road as it travels to the Magnolia State for two games this week.  VSU is 16-6 overall and 8-6 in Gulf South Conference play.  
 
The Lady Blazers will look to avenge losses from earlier in the season at Mississippi College on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET and at Delta State on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.  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 games also will be broadcast on 92.1 WDDQ FM with Spencer Van Horn having the call.
 
VSU posted wins over Shorter (94-74) and West Georgia (80-72) in back-to-back days last weekend due to a power outage on campus, which postponed the game against Shorter from Thursday to Friday.  The Lady Blazers averaged 87 points in the two games, while shooting at a .438 clip on 57 of 130.  VSU was 17 of 43 from range, while going 43 of 58 from the line (.741).  VSU averaged 48.5 rebounds per game in the two games. 
 
Lady Blazer junior Delaney Bernard paced four players averaging double figures for the week.  Bernard averaged 15.0 points on 9 of 25 from the field and a team-best 6 of 15 from beyond the arc, while going 6 of 6 from the line.  She also averaged 8.5 rebounds per game to lead the team.  Junior Kayla Bonilla averaged 14.5 points per game for the week, while going 11 of 12 from the line.  Junior Germani Abram was 9 of 13 from the field (.692) to lead the team in field goal percentage, while she averaged 7.0 rebounds per game.  
 
Coming down the final stretch of the regular season, the Lady Blazers currently sit sixth in the GSC standings with six games to go.  Delta State is 9-6 in league play for fifth, while West Georgia sits one game back of the Lady Blazers at 7-7.  Lee, who is 14-1 in league play, with the one loss being to the Lady Blazers, leads the league by one game over Union (13-2).  Both Union and Lee have clinched berths in the GSC Championship so far.  Montevallo sits third at 10-4, followed by Alabama Huntsville at 10-5.  
 
In the D2SIDA Region rankings, VSU moved from tenth to eighth this week.  Lee holds the top spot in the region rankings, followed by Tampa, Union, Benedict and Eckerd is fifth.  Montevallo sits sixth, followed by Delta State, VSU, Alabama Huntsville and Miles is tenth.  In the WBCA Top 25, Lee is fifth this week as the only GSC team in the top 25 or receiving votes.
 
Mississippi College is 9-12 overall and 6-9 in GSC play as the Choctaws snapped a four-game skid with a 69-61 win at Auburn Montgomery on Saturday.  Since the 77-64 win over VSU on Jan. 9, MC has gone just 2-6 in its last eight games.  The Choctaws did upset Union in overtime on Jan. 18, 69-66.  
 
For the season, the Choctaws are averaging 67.1 points per game and allowing 68.2 points per contest.  The team is shooting .405 from the field on 523 of 1292, while teams are shooting .406 against it on 519 of 1279.  MC is 101 of 307 from beyond the arc (.329) for fourth in the GSC, while going 263 of 377 from the line (.698).  MC is 19^th nationally in steals per game at 11.6 to lead the conference and is 29^th nationally in total steals for a league-best 243 thefts.  MC forces 19.1 turnovers per game for third in the league.  The Choctaws are averaging 40.2 rebounds per game. 
 
Individually, Zariah Matthews leads the team averaging 14.7 points per game. She is 95 of 215 from the field (.442) and 28 of 72 from beyond the arc (.389) for second on the team in 3-pointers made.   She leads the team from the line at 76 of 103 for a .738 clip.  Coco Hobson leads the team in rebounding at 8.1 per contest and is third in scoring at 10.3 points per game.  Shanell Kitchens is second in scoring at 12.3 points per game and leads the team with 30 triples in 84 attempts (.357).
 
From a national perspective, Matthews is fourth in the GSC in assists (93), while she is third in the league in assists per game at 4.7.  Matthews is fifth in the league in steals (51) and fifth in steals per game (2.55).  Kitchens is 36^thnationally and second in the league in steals with 56, while her 2.95 steals per game average is 17^th nationally and first in the league.   
 
MC arguably had one of its best game of the season against the Lady Blazers in the first meeting as the Choctaws shot 50 percent for the game on 29 of 58, while going 11 of 19 from beyond the arc and 8 of 12 from the line in the 77-64 win on Jan. 9.  Five different players were in double figures, while Mikeba Jones had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.  VSU shot 21 of 59 from the field (.356) with 10 triples and went 12 of 19 from the line.  Saunders had a game-high 23 points for VSU.  MC used a 24-13 first quarter and a 24-18 third quarter for the victory as the Lady Blazers never led in the game.
 
VSU leads the all-time series with MC, 20-11, but the Choctaws hold a 7-4 lead in games in Clinton, Miss., since the locations became noted beginning in 1981.  VSU won 58-54 last season at MC, and has won its last four games there.  The win earlier this season by MC snapped a four-game winning streak overall in the series by the Lady Blazers.
 
Delta State will host West Florida before hosting the Lady Blazers on Saturday.  DSU lost last Saturday 80-66 at Union and has lost five of its last eight games dating back to the 66-59 win over VSU on Jan. 11.  Cold shooting (24 of 76 for 31 percent) was the difference for the Lady Statesmen in the loss at Union.  Quantesha Patterson posted her 14^thdouble-double of the season with 23 points and 14 rebounds.   
 
For the season, Patterson leads the team at 16.2 points per game on 136 of 215 from the field for a blistering .633 average.  She is 85 of 131 from the line, while averaging 13.3 rebounds per game.  Patterson is second on the team in blocks (18) and third in steals (36).  Nia Johnson is second in scoring at 14.1 points per game as she is 102 of 295 from the field, while going 20 of 97 from beyond the arc and 57 of 74 from the field.  Zyaire Ewing is third in scoring at 13.8 points per game and is second in rebounding at 10.8 per game.  Ewing is 113 of 298 from the field and 76 of 95 from the line for a team-best .800 average.  She has a team-high 39 blocks on the year. 
 
As a team, the Lady Statesmen are shooting .405 from the field on 569 of 1409, while going 79 of 289 from beyond the arc (.273) and 302 of 438 from the line (.689).  The team is averaging 44.9 rebounds per game, while scoring 69 points per game and allowing 60.2 per contest.  
 
The Lady Statesmen are 13^th nationally and first in the GSC in rebounds per game at 45.0, while also leading the league in offensive rebounds per game at 15.6 for 24^th nationally.  DSU is 29^th nationally and third in the GS in defensive rebounds at 29.3 per contest.  They are 27^th in blocked shots (97) for second in the league, while they are second in the GSC in scoring defense, holding teams to 60.2 points per game. 
 
Patterson is second nationally in offensive rebounds per game at 5.8, while she is seventh nationally in double-doubles (15) and fourth nationally in field goal percentage (.633).  Ewing is 35^th nationally and second in the league in blocked shots (9), while she is 19^th nationally and third in the league in defensive rebound per game (7.5).  She is fourth in the league and 25^th nationally in double-doubles with ten.  Ewing is 52^nd nationally and third in the league in offensive rebounds per game at 3.3, while she is 16^th in rebound per game for fourth in the league at 10.8 per game.  
 
DSU leads the all-time series with VSU 40-11, including the win earlier this season.  Last season, VSU posted a 54-46 win in Cleveland, Miss., for its third-straight win there.  The Lady Blazers have had the recent edge in the series, winning six of the last eight, but DSU has won two of the last three. 
 
The Lady Blazers are led by Bonilla this season, as she leads the team averaging 18.2 points per game for 51^stnationally and third in the league.  Bonilla is 124 of 274 from the field (.453), while she is 36 of 107 from beyond the arc (.336) for second on the team in made triples.  Bonilla is 79 of 101 from the line (.782) to lead the team in free throw percentage.  She has a team-high 75 assists and is second in steals with 39.  Saunders is second in scoring at 15.3 points per game.  She is 126 of 267 from the field (.472), while she is 77 of 115 from the line (.670).  Saunders leads the team with 46 steals.  Bernard leads the team with 43 treys in 112 attempts for a .384 average.  
 
As a team, VSU is shooting .437 from the field on 579 of 1325 for 53^rd nationally and second in the league.  The Lady Blazers are 167 of 463 from beyond the arc for a .361 clip for 26^th nationally and second in the league.  VSU is 297 of 426 from the line (.697), while averaging 38.5 rebounds per game and scoring 73.7 points per game.  The Lady Blazers are fourth in the GSC in made treys (167) and 3-pointers made per game (7.6).  
 
Following the two games, VSU returns home for the final two regular season home games of the year on Feb. 20 versus Montevallo and Feb. 22 versus West Alabama for Senior Day. The Lady Blazers then will close the regular season on the road at West Florida (Feb. 27) and at Auburn Montgomery (Feb. 29).