MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Behind a Valdosta State career-high 32 points from graduate student Nicole Heyn, the Lady Blazers raced out to a 49-18 lead at halftime at Montevallo en route to a 74-42 victory Saturday afternoon.  VSU ran its winning streak to five games and improved to 19-4 overall and 14-2 in Gulf South Conference play.
 
Heyn finished a VSU career-best 10 of 15 from the field and 6 of 8 from beyond the arc, while she was 6 of 9 from the line with 12 rebounds.  It was her fifth double-double of the season, while teammate and graduate student Kwajelin Farrar finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season.  Graduate student Delaney Bernard had a team-high eight assists.
 
As a team, VSU shot 45.8 percent for the game on 27 of 59 from the field, while it was 11 of 29 from deep and 9 of 13 from the line.  VSU held UM to 15 of 59 from the field for 25.4 percent, while the Falcons were 5 of 26 from deep and 7 of 13 from the line.  VSU held a 49-29 lead in rebounding.  Not one player for the Falcons was in double figures as Anna Katherine Eastman and Jordan Jones each had six points.
 
The Lady Blazers raced out to a 25-12 lead through the first quarter on sharp shooting from the field, going 9 of 15 for 60 percent, while the team knocked down five of seven from beyond the arc for the period and went 2 of 2 from the line. 
 
Montevallo (11-13, 7-9 GSC) was just 5 of 17 from the field for the quarter and 1 of 5 from deep, while going 1 of 2 from the line.  VSU led by as many as 14 in the quarter at 23-9 with 47 seconds left in the frame. The Falcons last lead of the quarter was 6-5 with 7:13 left in the first. 
 
Farrar scored her fourth point of the game with a turnaround jumper with 8:21 left in the half, but Eastman buried the second triple for the Falcons, pulling Montevallo within 27-15 with 7:45 remaining in the half.  Farrar then gathered her fourth defensive rebound of the game and sophomore Tamiya Francis scored at the offensive end for a 29-15 lead with under seven minutes remaining in the first half.  Continuing the strong play from Farrar, she pushed the lead to 31-15 and Heyn scored her 14^th point of the half with a layup for a 34-15 lead with 5:58 remaining on the old fashion three-point play and a 7-0 run. 
 
The Lady Blazers finished the half on a 15-3 run for a 49-18 lead at the break.  VSU shot 19 of 32 from the field for the half for 59.4 percent, while UM was 7 of 33 from the field for 21.2 percent.  VSU was 7 of 14 from beyond the arc and the Falcons were 2 of 13.  Both teams struggled at the line as VSU was 4 of 8 and UM was 2 of 6.   The Lady Blazers were 10 of 17 from the field in the second quarter, while UM was 2 of 16 as VSU outscored the Falcons 24-6 for the period.
 
Individually, Heyn had 21 points on 7 of 9 from the field for the half and 5 of 6 from beyond the arc, while knocking down two free throws.  She had five rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals for the half.  Farrar finished with 12 points on 6 of 9 from the field for the first two quarters and six rebounds. 
 
Montevallo opened the second half with two buckets and a harm in the first two minutes to pull within 49-23 with 8:18 left in the quarter.  Heyn answered with her own offensive rebound and layup for a 51-23 score and 7:53 remaining.  Two treys from Montevallo followed for an 11-2 start to the quarter and a timeout by the Lady Blazers.  Out of the timeout, VSU scored for a 54-31 lead with six minutes remaining in the quarter. 
 
Heyn continued her strong shooting from beyond the arc with a triple for her 26^th point and a 57-31 lead with five minutes remaining in the frame.  It was her sixth ball from deep for the game.  Francis got into the deep range act with a trey for a 60-31 lead, extending the run to 11-2 since UM's 11-2 start to the half.
 
VSU began the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run for a 68-37 lead and 6:48 to play in the contest.  The Lady Blazers went on to outscore UM 12-5 for the final quarter and a 74-42 victory.
 
The Lady Blazers return home for Senior Weekend next week at The Complex.  VSU hosts Lee in a key GSC rematch on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m., followed by the regular season home finale and Senior Day on Sat., Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. versus Shorter.