HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Coming off the Christmas Break, the No. 22 Valdosta State women's basketball team closed the 2021 portion of the schedule with an 82-61 victory at Alabama Huntsville Friday afternoon. VSU outscored UAH 27-9 in the third quarter to pull away from UAH, after the Lady Blazers held a 35-33 lead at intermission.
The Lady Blazers improved to 10-2 on the year and 5-1 in Gulf South Conference play, while UAH fell to 1-9 overall and 0-5 in league play. VSU won its third-straight game and improved to 3-1 on the road this season. Four players were in double figures for the Lady Blazers, led by a team-high 15 points from sophomore
Tamiya Francis, who was 6 of 9 from the field and 3 of 3 from deep. Graduate students
Delaney Bernard and
Nicole Heyn each added 13 points and
Kwajelin Farrar chipped in 11 points.
Heyn finished with a team-high eight rebounds in the game and was 6 of 8 from the line, while Bernard went 3 of 6 from range and 5 of 10 from the field. Farrar was 5 of 7 from the field with six rebounds. VSU shot 50.8 percent for the game and held UAH to 40 percent shooting. VSU was 11 of 25 from deep and 9 of 16 from the line, while holding a 40-28 lead in rebounding. The game saw four ties and three lead changes as UAH led for just 59 seconds in the game.
For the Chargers, Sloan Mann had a game-high 17 points on 6 of 10 from the field, 2 of 5 from beyond the arc and 3 of 4 from the line. Miajah Bullock added 16 points on 5 of 13 from the field with on triple and 5 of 6 from the line.
Farrar opened the scoring in the second half with a layup off an offensive rebound from graduate student
Delaney Bernard for a 37-33 lead with 8:31 left in the frame, beginning a commanding 18-0 run capped with a layup from Farrar with 4:55 left and a 53-33 lead. UAH's Sloan Mann buried a trey getting the Chargers on the board in the second half moments later. Mann then hit two free throws for a 56-40 deficit with 1:40 left in the frame. VSU closed the quarter on a 6-0 run for a 62-42 lead.
The Lady Blazers extended the lead to as many as 27 in the fourth quarter and outscored the Chargers 47-28 in the second half en route to the 21-point victory.
Bernard buried a 3 unknotting the score at 14-11 with 3:28 left in the first quarter, but UAH tied the score once again at 16 with a triple from Alaina Taylor with 1:02 left in the frame. Graduate student
Mallory Odell scored inside off her own offensive rebound for a 18-16 score with 33 seconds left and the final scoring for the quarter.
Bullock tied the game at 18 early in the second quarter with a layup, but Francis answered with a trey for a 21-18 lead with 9:08 left in the half, giving VSU the lead which it wouldn't relinquish the rest of the game. Heyn followed suit with a triple for a 24-18 lead and Odell later pushed the lead to seven at 33-26 with a layup with 3:43 left in the half. UAH closed the half with a 7-2 run pulling within 35-33 at halftime.
VSU continues on the road on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at West Alabama. Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com on the women's basketball schedule page. Sunday's game also will be broadcast on 94.3 WJEM in Valdosta with Spencer Van Horn having the call of the game.
