VALDOSTA, Ga. – Fresh off four-straight victories, including a 63-37 victory in the Gulf South Conference opener last Saturday vs. West Georgia, the No. 15 Valdosta State women's basketball team makes its first GSC road trip of the season at Shorter on Saturday at 2 p.m. and then at No. 20 Lee on Monday at 6 p.m.
 
After a slow start offensively, the Lady Blazers dominated the Wolves the rest of the way, holding a 20-10 lead at halftime and outscored UWG 43-27 in the second half.  VSU had three players in double figures led by 14 points and ten rebounds from graduate student Kwajelin Farrar and graduate student Nicole Heyn added 12 points and six rebounds.  Freshman Taylor Searcey added 11 points off the bench for double figures in her first two games of the season as she scored 10 points at Georgia Southwestern on Nov. 30. 
 
VSU (6-1, 1-0 GSC) held UWG to just 13 of 48 from the field (.271) and 3 of 14 from beyond the arc, while the Wolves were just 8 of 11 from the line.  No UWG player scored in double figures in the game.  Conversely, VSU shot 21 of 57 from the field for the game, including 10 of 16 from the field in the third quarter and used a 19 of 24 performance from the line, while outrebounding the Wolves 45-29 and 16-7 on the offensive end.
 
Fans can access links to live stats and streaming of the games this weekend at vstateblazers.com on the women's basketball schedule page.  Check back following each game for a complete recap and stats.
 
This season, the Lady Blazers are led by Heyn who is 22 of 43 from the field (.512) and 7 of 14 from range, while going 11 of 14 from the line.  She is averaging a team-high 15.5 points per game as four Lady Blazers are averaging double figures.  Heyn has 11 steals for second on the team.  Farrar is second in scoring at 13.4 points per game and a team-high 8.4 rebounds per game.  She is 41 of 81 from the field (.506) and has 22 assists for second on the team and seven blocks to lead the team.  Sophomore Tamiya Francis is third in scoring at 10.9 points per game.  She is tied for the team-lead in triples made (11) and is 19 of 26 from the line.  Francis has team-highs with 25 assists and 14 steals.  Searcey is 8 for 17 from the field in two games and 5 of 6 from the line as she is averaging 10.5 points per game.  
 
As a team, the Lady Blazers are shooting at a .408 clip on 158 of 387 from the field, while going 44 of 144 from beyond the arc (.306) and 109 of 153 (.712) from the line.  VSU is averaging 67.0 points per game and allowing 52.3 points per game.  VSU is pulling down 41.3 rebounds per game and allowing 33.1 per contest.
 
The Hawks enter with a 1-3 record and an 0-2 mark in GSC play.  SU has dropped its last three games after a 79-73 victory to open the season against Fort Valley State on Nov. 19.  The Hawks lost last week at Christian Brothers (67-58) and at Union, 76-58.
 
For the season, SU is led by Jasmine Gaines who is averaging 20.0 points per game in four starts.  She is 22 of 65 from the field, 4 of 16 from beyond the arc and 32 of 38 from the line.  Gaines is averaging 6.0 rebounds per game and has 14 assists for second on the team and 13 steals to lead the team.  Kelly Pickett is second in scoring at 12.7 points per game.  She is 13 of 35 from the field and a team-best 8 of 19 from beyond the arc.  Tiara Lewis is third in scoring at 9.8 points per game and leads the team averaging 9.5 rebounds per game. 
 
As a team, the Hawks are shooting at a .335 clip on 74 of 221, while they are 18 of 62 from beyond the arc and 71 of 103 from the line.  SU is averaging 59.3 points per game and allowing 73.3 per contest, while pulling down 37.5 rebounds per game and allowing 33.3 per contest.  Head coach LaSheena Nation is in her first season at the helm of the program.  She was an assistant coach at GSC foe Auburn Montgomery the last two seasons.
 
VSU has won the last 17 of 20 games in the series dating back to Jan. 5, 2013.  VSU has won 11-straight dating back to a 70-63 setback in Rome, Ga., on Jan. 9, 2017.  VSU has won five-straight games in Rome and are 7-3 there since 2013.
 
The Flames enter the weekend with an 8-1 record overall and a 1-1 mark in GSC play after they dropped a 79-69 decision on Dec. 2 at then-No. 20 Union and won at Christian Brothers 75-63 on Dec. 4.  Lee will host West Florida on Saturday, before entertaining the Lady Blazers Monday.
 
Due to COVID-19, VSU faced Lee five times last season, including in the first round of the NCAA South Regional in Dahlonega, Ga., where VSU posted a 74-64 victory.  Current sophomore Jirah Ards led the Lady Blazers with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Farrar added 16 points and nine rebounds among those who returned this season.  VSU shot 55.1 percent for the game, while holding Lee to 31.6 percent shooting and held a 42-26 lead in rebounding.  Haley Schubert led the Flames with 22 points.
 
Schubert leads the team this season averaging 18.0 points this season as she is 59 of 128 from the floor.  She is 11 of 33 from beyond the arc and 33 of 42 from the line. Schubert has 59 assists and 25 steals to lead the team.  Halle Hughes is second in scoring at 13.4 points per game and leads the team averaging 6.8 rebounds per game.  Hughes is 38 of 68 from the field (.559) to lead the team, while she is 15 of 30 from range and 30 of 36 from the line.  She has 25 assists and 15 steals for the season. 
 
As a team, the Flames hare shooting at a .457 clip on 252 of 552, while they are 69 of 203 from range (.340) and 120 of 151 from the line (.795).  Lee is averaging 77.0 points per game and allowing 52.6 points per game, while averaging 40.9 rebounds per game and allowing 31.8 per contest.  Head coach Marty Rowe is 446-115 at Lee in his 18^th season and is 577-180 overall in his 24^th season of coaching.
 
VSU won three of the five matchups last season and have won 11 of the last 20 in the series.  Lady Blazer head coach Deandra Schirmer is 4-2 against the Flames during her time at VSU.  Schirmer, the reigning GSC East Division Coach of the Year, is in her third season as head coach and is 42-16 at VSU overall, and 27-12 in GSC play.  
 
Following the road trip, VSU returns home to host Montevallo on Dec. 18 at 2 p.m., and Auburn Montgomery on Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. prior to the Christmas Holiday break.