VALDOSTA, Ga. – Fresh off a 64-47 victory at West Florida on Tuesday, the No. 5 Valdosta State women's basketball team returns home to host Montevallo Friday and Saturday in a key Gulf South Conference East Division series.  Friday's game is set for a 7 p.m. tip, while Saturday's contest is scheduled for 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 games will be broadcast on 94.3. WJEM FM with Mike Chason having the call and online at foxsportsvaldosta.com.
 
VSU enters with a GSC-best 13-1 record overall and a 13-1 record in the league, while Montevallo is 7-2 in league play and 7-3 overall.  The Lady Blazers have won six-straight games, mark the second longest winning streak of the season as they began the year with seven-straight victories.  Montevallo has won its last two games in wins over Lee, 75-69 and 82-75. 
 
Friday's game will be the Annual Play for Kay Game.  The Play for Kay event, spearheaded by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), is named in honor of legendary North Carolina State head coach Kay Yow, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, and passed away on January 24, 2009, after facing her third bout with the disease.  Blazer fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game on Friday.
 
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund, in partnership with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and The V Foundation, is a charitable organization committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against women's cancers through raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved and unifying people for a common cause. The Lady Blazers have partnered with Southern OB/GYN who will provide 100 pink shirts to fans at Friday's game to help promote the initiative.
 
Donations can be made to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund online at: www.kayyow.com. There will be additional information on how to donate at the gate.
 
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be limited occupancy for home games and face coverings will be required at all times for all guests over the age of two (2) at The Complex this season.
 
On Tuesday, the Lady Blazers used a big second half and a pair of double-doubles from graduate student Kwajelin Farrar and sophomore Jirah Ards for the 17-point victory at West Florida. VSU had four starters in double figures as Farrar led the way with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Ards had 14 points and 10 rebounds.  Senior Kayla Bonilla added 14 points and freshman Alexandria Smith chipped in 11 points with three treys.  VSU outscored UWF 38-26 after leading 26-22 at intermission.  The Lady Blazers held UWF to 31.6 percent shooting for the game on 18 of 57 from the field, while VSU shot 48.1 percent for the game.
 
The Lady Blazers are off to a 13-1 start marking the seventh-best start in program history.  VSU opened the 1983-84 season with a 23-1 record en route to a school-best 30-3 record and the program's only national semifinal appearance. 
 
VSU was fifth in the first WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) Top 25, released this week.  It matches the highest VSU has been ranked in the poll since 1996 as the Lady Blazers were fifth on Jan. 8, 2008 and Jan. 15, 2008.  VSU has been ranked in the top ten of the WBCA poll six times previously and the last being on Oct. 31, 2017, at eighth. 
 
Drury (Mo.) leads the initial ranking, followed by Lubbock Christian (Texas), Lander (S.C.), Charleston (W.Va.) and VSU.  Charleston is under the direction of former VSU assistant coach Tianni Kelly.  Kelly came to VSU last season when head coach Deandra Schirmer was hired. 
 
The Falcons enter the week playing some of their best basketball of the season, sweeping Lee last week.  Marissa Snodgrass was named the GSC East Division Player of the Week, following a career-high 29 points, four assists, three steals and one rebound in the 82-75 win over the Lady Flames on Saturday.  She had one of the top shooting games in program history, going 8 of 9 from the field and 7 of 8 from range in the game.
 
For the season, the Falcons are shooting at 43.1 clip on 283 of 656, while they are 70 of 220 from beyond the arc for a 31.8 average and are 164 of 229 from the line for a 71.6 clip.  The team is holding teams to a 36.5 average from the field (229-627), while teams are just 60 of 224 (26.8) from beyond the arc against Montevallo.  UM is averaging 42.2 rebounds per game and surrendering 40.0 per contest.  The team is scoring 80 points per game, for tops in the GSC and 13^th nationally, and allowing 66 per contest.  UM is tops in the GSC in both turnover margin (3.5) for 33^rd nationally and turnovers forced (21.3) for 21^st nationally.
 
Individually, four players are averaging double figures led by 13.1 points per game from Savannah Lee.  She is 49 of 104 from the field to lead the team in made field goals.  Lee is 11 of 26 from beyond the arc and 22 of 29 from the line.  She leads the team averaging 5.2 rebounds per game.  Jordan Jones is second in scoring at 12.7 points per game.  She has 44 made field goals and is second on the team from the charity stripe, going 33 of 43 for a 76.7 clip.  Kiya Sain is third in scoring at 12.1 points per game on 42 of 105 from the field, while Snodgrass is fourth in scoring at 12.0 points per game and leads the team from beyond the arc at 24 of 61 for a .393. clip. 
 
Snodgrass leads the GSC in assists (52) for 26^th nationally and in assists per game at 5.2 per contest for 21^st nationally.  She is second in the league in made 3-pointers (24) and second in 3-point field goal percentage at a 39.3 clip.  This weekend's matchup features the top two assist leaders in the GSC, with Snodgrass and Bonilla.
 
Montevallo head coach Gary Van Atta is in his fifth season of his second stint at the helm of the women's basketball program.  Van Atta is 212-124 in 12 seasons at Montevallo between the two stints and is 533-366 overall in 31 years of coaching.  In his second stint at UM, he is 46-75.  The Falcons are a perfect 5-0 on the road this season, while they are 2-3 at home. 
 
VSU won the first meeting between the two teams at Montevallo on Dec. 16, 2020, 62-61.  Bonilla scored 18 points and needed every one of them in the victory as she was 6 of 10 from the field with one triple and 5 of 7 from the line.  Farrar had nine points and eight rebounds in the game as UM held VSU to just 21 of 61 shooting with five treys and 15 of 27 from the line.
 
The Lady Blazers used a 19-11 third quarter for a 47-36 lead through three frames, but UM outscored VSU 25-15 in the final quarter, scoring 11 of 12 points for a 50-47 deficit with 3:31 left.  Snodgrass keyed the final comeback attempt with two treys late and Jennifer Andrew tied the game at 60 with 25 seconds remaining.  Ards buried two clutch free throws and a foul at the buzzer gave UM one last chance to tie, but Andrew made 1 of 2 from the stripe for the final 62-61 margin.
 
VSU has won six of the past seven meetings in the series and two-straight.  Montevallo's lone win during the stretch came in 2019-20 in a 90-67 decision at UM. 
 
For the season, the Lady Blazers are shooting at a 42.3 clip on 363 of 858 from the field.  VSU is 99 of 308 from range (32.1) and 177 of 253 from the line for a 70 percent average.  VSU is holding teams to a 35.0 average per game from the field on 283 of 808, while teams are 94 of 313 from range (30.0) and 137 of 204 from the line (67.2).  VSU is outrebounding the opposition 42.6 to 32.6 for a margin of 10 rebounds per game.  The Lady Blazers are averaging 71.6 points per game and allow 56.9 per contest. 
 
Nationally speaking, VSU leads the conference in assists (188) for 26^th nationally, while it is first in the league in defensive rebounds per game (29.6) for 38^th nationally.  The Lady Blazers are fourth nationally in rebounds (597) and seventh nationally in rebounding margin at 10.0 per game.  VSU is second to Montevallo in scoring offense in the league (71.6) and leads the conference in scoring defense (56.9) for 16^th nationally and scoring margin (14.6) for 20^th nationally.  The Lady Blazers are ninth nationally in steals (138) for tops in the league, while the 99 made 3-pointers are good for second in the league and 21^st nationally.
 
This season, Bonilla leads the team averaging 14.3 points per game on 66 of 145 from the field for a 45.5 average.  She is 14 of 45 from range (31.1) and a team-best 54 of 68 from the line (79.4).  Bonilla leads the team with 48 assists and 41 steals.  She is third in the GSC in assists and 32^nd nationally, while she is 17^th nationally and tops in the league in free throw attempts and tops in the conference in free throws made for 19^th nationally.  Bonilla is second nationally in steals with 41, trailing Makyra Tramble of Southwestern Oklahoma State by one theft for the national lead.
 
Farrar is second on the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game and leads the team averaging 9.8 rebounds per game.  Farrar is a team-best 82 of 139 from the field for a 59.0 average.  Her 82 made field goals lead the GSC and is 21^st nationally.  She is 14^th nationally in field goal percentage (59.0) for second in the league.  Farrar has eight double-doubles on the year for second in the GSC and third nationally.  She has recorded back-to-back double-doubles for the third time this season, including a VSU career-high 16 rebounds in the win on Saturday at West Georgia.  She is eighth nationally and leads the league in offensive rebounds per game (4.6), while she is ninth nationally in total rebounds (137) for second in the league and 31^st nationally in rebounds per game at 9.8 per contest.
 
Smith is third on the team in scoring at 9.5 points per game.  She is 46 of 107 from the field, while draining 18 treys for a tie for second on the team and is 23 of 32 from the line.  Smith is third on the team in rebounding at 5.6 per game.  Ards is fourth in scoring at 8.3 points per game, but is second in rebounding at 6.5 per contest, including averaging 5.3 defensive rebounds per game.  Ards leads the conference in playing time at 438:40 minutes this season for 44^th nationally.
 
Following the two games this weekend, VSU returns to the road at Auburn Montgomery next weekend with games scheduled for Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. ET, followed by a 3 p.m. ET game on Feb. 13.  After the bye week (Feb. 19-20), VSU returns home to host West Florida Feb. 26-27 to close out the 2020-21 regular season.