VALDOSTA, Ga. – Fresh off three-straight home victories and seven-straight wins overall, the Valdosta State women's basketball team returns to the road for a Sunday clash at West Florida on Dec. 18.  The Lady Blazers and Argos are set to tip at 3 p.m. ET in Pensacola, Fla.
 
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 game will be broadcast on 92.1 WDDQ FM and talk921.com with Spencer Van Horn having the call.  Following Sunday's game, the Lady Blazers will break for the Christmas holiday and return to action Dec. 31 and Jan. 2 on the road at Auburn Montgomery and Montevallo, respectively.  VSU opens the 2023 home slate on Jan. 5, 2023, versus Alabama Huntsville at The Complex.
 
On Tuesday, the Lady Blazers battled back from a 24-16 first quarter deficit, outscoring Christian Brothers 48-20 over the second and third quarters, respectively, en route to a 79-61 victory.  VSU improved to 7-2 overall and 6-1 in Gulf South Conference play.  Lady Blazer sophomore Kate Tanner had a career-high 24 points on 11 of 13 from the field, while she recorded her first double-double as a Lady Blazer with a career-high 12 rebounds leading four starters in double figures.  Junior Tamiya Francis had 17 points on 6 of 10 from the field, including 4 of 8 from deep with four steals, while senior Jirah Ards finished with 13 points and a team-high five steals.  VSU shot 30 of 60 from the field as it has shot 50 percent or better in each of the last three games during the home stand.  The Lady Blazers were 8 of 22 from deep against CBU and 11 of 18 from the line.  
 
Looking at the league standings, Lee is a perfect 7-0 in conference play and 8-2 overall, while VSU sits second at 6-1, holding a one game lead over both West Alabama and West Florida who are 5-2 in league play.  UWF is 5-4 overall and has won three-straight games for the third-longest current winning streak in the league behind seven by VSU and five by Lee.
 
VSU leads the all-time series with UWF 25-20 since 2000 and has won the last two in the series, including an 81-54 victory in Valdosta on Jan. 29, 2022, and a 64-47 victory on Feb. 2, 2021, in Pensacola.  The victory in Pensacola snapped a seven-game losing skid there as VSU had not won since Jan. 19, 2013, with a 62-59 victory.  VSU fourth-year head coach Deandra Schirmer is 69-23 at the helm of the program and is 49-15 in GSC play.  She is 3-1 against UWF.  
 
For the season, the Lady Blazers are 20^th nationally and tops in the GSC at scoring defense, allowing just 55.0 points per game, while the team is third in the league in scoring margin at 8.3 and third in steals at 10.2 per contest. VSU is second in the GSC and 34^th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at a 35.9 clip on 65 of 181.  The Lady Blazers force 20.89 turnovers per game for second in the league and 39^th nationally.  Individually, junior Emma Martin leads the conference in 3-point field goal percentage at a 48.7 clip on 19 of 39 from deep for 24^th nationally, while Francis is third in the league at 40.4 clip on 19 of 47.  

The Argos enter the week with some national recognition as Jaclyn Jarnot was named the Division II Women's Basketball National Player of the Week by the Division II Conference Information Directors of America this week (D2CIDA).  Last week, Jarnot averaged 28.5 points and 18.0 rebounds per game in wins over No. 5 Union and Christian Brothers.  She had 24 points and 16 rebounds against Union and followed with a career-high 33 points and 20 rebounds against CBU.  This season, Jarnot is third nationally in double-doubles with seven to lead the GSC, while she is second in the GSC in points per game at 18.0, while she is third nationally in rebounds with 122 and third nationally in rebounds per game at a 13.6 clip.  She leads the league in steals per game at a 2.78 clip for 33^rd nationally, while she is second nationally in defensive rebounds at 10.3 per game and second in the GSC in offensive rebounds per game at 3.4.  
 
As a team, the Argos are seventh nationally in rebounding margin at 12.3 as they average 44.67 rebounds per game to lead the league.  UWF is 14^th nationally in free throw attempts at 23.89 per game, while it is 20^th nationally in made free throws per game at a 16.0 clip.  The Argos have made 144 free throws for the season, marking two more than the opposition has attempted (142).  UWF is 14^th nationally in defensive rebounds at 30.7 per game, while it is tops in the GSC in offensive rebounds at 14.0 per contest.  Along with Jarnot, Zoe Piller is third in the league in field goal percentage at a 52.1 clip on 50 of 96 from the floor.  She is fourth in the GSC in double-doubles with three, while she is fourth in the league in rebounding at 8.7 per game.  Haylee Luttrell is fourth in the GSC in 3-point field goal percentage at a 40 percent clip, while she is seventh in the league in 3-pointers made with 18 and fifth in the GSC in 3-pointers per game at a 2.00 clip.
 
UWF head coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton is in her 11^th season at the helm of the Argos.  She is 173-118 in Pensacola, while she is 229-202 all-time in 16 years of coaching.  She is 11-10 during her time at UWF against Valdosta State.  
 
Following the game Sunday, VSU will break for the Christmas holiday and return to action on Dec. 31 at Auburn Montgomery and then at Montevallo on Jan. 2, before returning home to host Alabama Huntsville on Jan. 5 and West Alabama on Jan. 7 at The Complex.