VALDOSTA, Ga. – In a game with all the intensity of a postseason game in March and it was November and the Gulf South Conference opener, No. 24 Lee won 56-55, as VSU's shot at the buzzer was blocked. The Lady Blazers fell to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in GSC play, while Lee improved to 2-1 and 1-0 in league play.  In what has become a great rivalry over the last few years, the game saw 19 lead changes and seven ties as neither team had more than a six-point lead in the game.  
 
Lee's Mallory Hampton scored inside for a 54-53 lead for Lee with just over a minute remaining.  Lady Blazer sophomore India Jordan scored with 35.7 seconds left off an offensive rebound, for a 55-54 VSU lead and a timeout by Lee.  Out of the timeout, with 31.7 seconds left, Addison Smith scored inside for a 56-55 Lee advantage and 17.4 seconds remaining.
 
The Lady Blazers missed the potential go ahead shot and had to foul with 10.3 seconds left.  Haley Schubert missed two foul shots with eight seconds left as VSU advanced the ball to half court.  An offensive foul on VSU at the top of the arc gave Lee the ball with 6.5 seconds left.  Schubert missed a shot with 3.1 seconds left and VSU called a timeout, to once again advance the ball to midcourt.  Tamiya Francis' shot was blocked by Smith at the buzzer, as Lee escaped with a 56-55 victory.  
 
For the game, VSU shot 19 of 53 from the field for 35.8 percent, while it was 4 of 17 from deep and 13 of 15 from the line.  The Lady Blazers held a 38-29 lead in rebounding and a 14-7 advantage in offensive rebounds, while leading 20-5 in second change points, but 22 miscues led to a 17-9 lead for Lee in points off turnovers.  Sophomore Kate Tanner had a team-high 15 points for VSU on 6 of 9 from the field, while she was 3 of 5 from the line and six rebounds.  Sophomore Taylor Searcey added ten points on 3 of 10 from the field and 4 of 4 from the line, while pulling down a team-high seven rebounds with four assists and three steals.  
 
The Lady Flames finished shooting 44 percent on 22 of 50 from the field, while going 6 of 17 from deep and 6 of 12 from the line.  Mallory Hampton had a game-high 20 points on 8 of 14 from the field, 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and 1 of 2 from the line with a team-high six rebounds.  Haley Schubert added 13 points, while Anna Mahonen chipped in 11 points off the bench.
 
This marked the ninth meeting between the two teams since the beginning of 2021, with Lee taking a 5-4 lead during that span.  It also marked the second-straight one-point decision in Valdosta as VSU won in the last meeting at The Complex, 52-51 on Feb. 17, 2022.  The last seven meetings in Valdosta have been decided by a combined 25 points and the last four by nine points.
 
VSU will continue at home as it hosts Shorter on Saturday at 2 p.m. at The Complex.  Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com.  The game will be broadcast on 94.3 WJEM FM / 1150 AM Fox Sports Valdosta with Mike Chason having the call an on www.foxsportsvaldosta.com.
 
The Lady Blazer "D" forced Lee into four turnovers in the first 3:15 of the contest and scored the first bucket of the game on a steal and score from Tanner.  A free throw by Lee got the Lady Flames on the board, but junior Lily Long followed her own shot and score for a 4-1 lead with 5:16 left in the first quarter. 
 
Redshirt senior Jirah Ards scored on a put back for a 6-3 lead with 4:15 left in the opening frame in her first game since Nov. 26, 2021.  A trey from Hampton tied the game at six with 3:48 left in the quarter.  In the closing minutes of the first quarter, Searcey scored with a reverse layup for a 10-8 lead and under a minute left in the first.  Following an offensive foul on the Lady Blazers, Hampton buried an off-balance triple at the buzzer for an 11-10 Lee lead and her second triple of the frame.  
 
Following a turnover by the Lady Flames, Searcey dished a nice outlet pass in transition to sophomore Emma Martin for a score and a 14-12 lead early in the second.  Martin then buried a triple from junior Tamiya Francis, putting VSU back in front 17-16 with seven minutes left in the half.  Schubert hit a three off an inbounds pass for a 20-17 Lady Flame advantage and just over five minutes remaining in the half for the Lady Flames' largest lead to that point.  
 
Two buckets from Tanner gave her six points as VSU regained the lead at 21-20.  The teams continued to trade buckets and the lead as Muhonen scored for a 24-23 lead for Lee with 2:03 left in the half.  Long drained off an assist from Searcey for a 26-24 VSU lead and just over 90 seconds left in the half.  Lee's Addison Smith hit a trey for a 27-26 lead for Lee at intermission as the Lady Flames hit triples for the final buckets of each of the first two quarters.
 
For the half, VSU shot 10 of 27 from the field for 37 percent, while going 2 of 8 from deep and 4 of 5 from the line.  VSU held a 17-15 lead in rebounding and a 5-2 lead in offensive rebounds.  Lee countered going 11 of 23 from the floor for 47.8 percent, while it was 3 of 10 from range and 2 of 4 from the line. There were 11 lead changes in the half, while Lee committed 11 turnovers, while VSU had ten miscues.  Long paced the Lady Blazers with seven points as six different players scored in the half.  Lee was led by nine points from Muhonen.  
 
Following a blocked shot on Searcey, she got her own rebound and dish to Ards for two and a 30-29 VSU lead with 7:13 left in the third.  Schubert hit a long two for a 33-30 lead tying Lee's largest lead moments later.  Lee's Mia Hurst stretched the lead to 36-30 with under six minutes left in the third.  
 
Jordan connected on two free throws for a 36-32 deficit out of a media timeout with 4:35 left in the frame.  Searcey added two free throws for a 36-34 score, moments later as Lee was over the foul limit in the quarter.  A big offensive foul drawn by Searcey – her second charge drawn of the game as Lee had four players with three fouls to that point.  Searcey hit two more free throws as VSU erased the deficit at the line for a 36-36 score and 2:23 left in the quarter.  Lee built the lead back to three at the line, as neither team had hit a field goal since the 6:16 mark.  Just like in the first two quarters, Lee buried a triple at the buzzer, this time from Hampton, for a 42-36 Lady Flame lead heading to the fourth quarter.  
 
Following the third foul on Schubert, Francis drained a long one from the corner pocket and a 42-39 score in the first minute of the fourth.  Tanner scored inside from Searcey for a 43-41 deficit for Tanner's eight point and Searcey's fourth assist of the game.  Tanner then pulled VSU within 48-47 with five and change left on a turnaround jumper in the paint.  She then followed her own shot and score after a bucket from Lee for a 50-49 deficit and Tanner's 13^th point of the contest.
 
On a big offensive rebound by Tanner, Mahonen fouled out with 3:51 left in regulation with Tanner giving VSU its first lead since the 7:08 mark in the third, courtesy of a lane violation on Lee, 51-50.  Tanner, however, fouled out at the other end leading to a Hampton score on a driving layup, but Francis had the answer on a score at the other end for a 53-52 VSU lead and 2:21 left, heading into the final two minutes.