VALDOSTA, Ga. – Coming off a hard-fought, come-from-behind victory over Delta State in the Gulf South Conference Quarterfinal on Tuesday, the No. 6 Valdosta State women's basketball team hosts rival Lee University Friday evening at 5 p.m., in a GSC Semifinal. 
 
Fans can access links to audio/video streaming, live stats, 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.
 
The 2021 GSC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments will stream live on FloSports and fans may watch the games by purchasing a subscription to FloSports. With either a monthly or annual subscription, viewers will unlock access to premium content, both live and on-demand, across the entire FloSports network. The FloSports app is available for Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Apple TV, the App Store, and Google Play Store.
 
With a monthly subscription of $19.99, subscribers may cancel at any time. For a discounted rate, fans may choose to commit to an annual plan that comes to $12.49 per month.
 
FloSports is the exclusive home for all GSC Championships. With a monthly or annual subscription to FloSports, Gulf South fans will have the ability to access live and on-demand coverage of exclusive content and games.
 
Click on the links to the right of this story for more information and how to purchase with FloSports and for the GSC Women's Basketball Championship Central page.
 
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be a limited seating capacity for the GSC Semifinal Friday evening, and face coverings will be required at all times for all guests over the age of two (2) at The Complex.
 
Following over a two-week break from playing games due to the Lady Blazers' bye week and the regular season finale series against West Florida cancelled due to GSC Medical Procedures, the Lady Blazers came out Tuesday evening versus Delta State a little off their game. 
 
The upset-minded Lady Statesmen raced out to a 13-4 lead through the first quarter and built the lead to as many as 13, midway through the second quarter.  The Lady Blazers pulled within 28-22 at halftime, but outscored the Lady Statesmen 33-23 in the second half for the 55-51 victory. 
A 10-5 run by VSU began the second half, but each time the Lady Blazers would get close, DSU had the answer.  Junior Kayla Frey tied the game at 44 with 9:24 left in the fourth, but it was junior Shanice Nelson who put VSU up for good at 52-51 with 1:50 left.  Nelson scored three more free throws in the final minute to seal the victory. 
 
Lady Blazer graduate student Kwajelin Farrar was named Gulf South Conference East Division Player of the Year, while head coach Deandra Schirmer was named East Division Coach of the Year.  Senior Kayla Bonilla earned first team all-conference honors and sophomore Jirah Ards was named to the second team. 
 
Schirmer guided the Lady Blazers to their first GSC East Division regular season title since the 2009-10 season and just the sixth in program history since they joined the GSC.   VSU finished the regular season with a 16-2 record overall and in league play in 2020-21.  The Lady Blazers were picked third in the East Division in the GSC Preseason Coaches' Poll this season and had two separate winning streaks of seven-games during the season.  Schirmer is 35-13 overall in her two seasons at VSU and 26-12 in league play.
 
Lee's Haley Schubert earned first team all-conference honors, while her teammates Julia Duncan and Hannah Garrett were second team honorees.  Duncan also was named East Division Freshman of the Year.
 
The Lady Flames are 14-6 overall and were 13-6 in GSC East Division play.  Lee won 70-61 at West Alabama Tuesday evening behind a blistering night from Schubert as she scored 33 points on 14 of 24 from the field, while Duncan added 15 points.  The duo combined for 48 of the 70 points.  Lee shot 47 percent from the field (26-55) and scored 24 points off 21 UWA miscues.
 
Wednesday, the only actual NCAA South Region ranking was announced as the previous two rankings were considered teams under consideration and alphabetical.  In Wednesday's ranking, Lander held the top spot, followed North Georgia was second and VSU was third.  Union followed at fourth and Montevallo rounded out the top five.  Lee currently holds the last "in" spot if the tournament began today at sixth.  Clayton State is seventh and Alabama Huntsville sits eighth. 
 
The Regional Championship will feature the top-six regionally ranked teams, with the winners of the GSC and PBC Championships receiving automatic bid with four remaining at-large spots. 
 
The NCAA Division II Championships Committee has chosen predetermined regional sites for the 2021 NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Basketball Championships. The committee believes the sites and hosts chosen will provide an exceptional and safe experience for all participants.
 
The 2021 South Central Regional Championships will take place Mar. 12-15 in Dahlonega, Ga., at the UNG Convocation Center.  Winners from the regionals will advance to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Elite Eight in Columbus, Ohio, Mar. 23-26.
 
The 48-team NCAA Division II Women's Basketball field will be announced on Mar. 7 at 10 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.  Check back with vstateblazers.com later this week for links to the Selection Show for Sunday evening.
 
VSU is averaging 71.3 points per game this season and is 17-2 on the year after going 16-2 in GSC play this season.  The Lady Blazers are shooting 42.9 percent from the field this season, while they are shooting 31.9 percent from beyond the arc on 130 of 408.  VSU is 246 of 348 from the line for a 70.7 average, while it is averaging 42.4 rebounds per game.  Conversely, VSU is holding teams to 58.0 points per game and 35.3 percent shooting from the field.  The opposition is 118 of 409 from beyond the arc (28.9) and 206 of 299 from the line (68.9).  VSU is outrebounding teams by a margin of 9.9 per game.
 
Farrar leads the team averaging 14.2 points per game this season on 117 of 192 from the floor (60.9).  She is 35 of 58 from the line, while she leads the team in rebounding at 9.7 per game.  Farrar has ten double-doubles to lead the team.  Senior Kayla Bonilla is second in scoring at 13.4 points per game.  She is 84 of 184 from the field (45.7) and is third on the team in made 3-pointers with 19.  Bonilla leads the team from the line, going 68 of 83 for an 81.9 average.  She has 64 assists and 46 steals to lead the team.  Freshman Alexandria Smith is third in scoring at 9.5 points per game and she is second on the squad from beyond the arc on 25 of 64.  Ards is fourth in scoring at 8.5 points and second in made free throws, converting 45 of 61 for a 73.8 clip.  Senior Delaney Bernard leads the team from range with 30 made triples this season.
 
VSU went 2-1 with Lee during the regular season, winning the first game in thrilling fashion in overtime, 80-76 on Dec. 19, 2020, in Valdosta.  The teams then split a series in Cleveland, Tenn., with Lee winning 63-54 on Jan. 8 and VSU snapped the Lady Flames' 30-game home winning streak on Jan. 9, 63-57. 
 
Bonilla is averaging 20.3 points per game against Lee this season to lead the team.  She is 17 of 39 from the field against the Lady Flames (43.6), while she is 4 of 10 from range and 23 of 28 from the line for an 82.1 percent clip.  Bonilla has 13 assists and nine steals to lead the team.  Farrar is averaging a double-double with 12.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.  Farrar is 16 of 29 from the field (55.2), while she has seven assists, six blocks and two steals.  Ards is 6 of 18 from the field against Lee, but is 12 of 14 from the line for second on the team.
 
As a team, VSU is shooting 38.6 percent on 66 of 171, while it is 16 of 62 from range (25.8) and 49 of 61 from the line (80.3).  VSU is averaging 37.0 rebounds against the Lady Flames, while it has 33 assists, ten blocks and 27 steals.  The Lady Blazers own a 197-196 lead in scoring in the series this season.
 
Lee has made three more field goals this season in the series (69-173), while it has been pretty successful from beyond the arc against VSU, going 30 of 74 for a 40.5 clip.  VSU has done a good job of keeping the Lady Flames off the line as Lee is just 28 of 40 from the line and is averaging 36.3 rebounds per game.  Lee has 45 assists, seven blocks and 25 steals. 
 
The Lady Blazers lead the all-time series with Lee, 10-8, since Dec. 19, 2013.  VSU has won eight of the last 12 in the series.
 
VSU improved to 23-26 all-time in its 30^th appearance in the GSC Championship with the win on Tuesday.  This marks the 17^th time VSU has qualified for the semifinals and the team has reached the finals eight times with three championships in 1983, 1984 and 2017.
 
Lee beat VSU in its only championship game appearance in 2019, 81-73, as the Lady Flames now are 8-4 in the championship tournament overall and have reached the semifinals each of their six years they have qualified.  VSU and Lee are 1-1 all-time against each other in the GSC Championship with Lee winning in the title game in 2019 and VSU winning in the semifinals in 2017. 
 
The winner of Friday evening's game will advance to the GSC Championship game, scheduled for Sunday, Mar. 7, at 2 p.m. ET in Montgomery, Ala., at the AUM Athletic Complex on the campus of Auburn Montgomery University.