VALDOSTA, Ga. – Riding a five-game winning streak, the Valdosta State women's basketball team returns home to host Lee and Shorter to close out the 2021-22 home slate.  The Lady Blazers look to avenge an early season loss to No. 25 Lee on Thursday at 6 p.m., at The Complex and then will host Shorter on Saturday at 2 p.m. for Senior Day.  
 
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 92.1 WDDQ FM and talk921.com with Mike Chason having the call Thursday and Spencer Van Horn on Saturday.  
 
Prior to Saturday's game, the Lady Blazers will honor six seniors, along with the annual Donnie McGahee Award.  The 2022 senior class includes; Delaney Bernard, Kwajelin Farrar, Kayla Frey, Nicole Heyn, Mallory Odell and Abby Rouse.  Best of luck to each of these outstanding seniors in their future endeavors.  
 
This past weekend, the Lady Blazers won road games at Auburn Montgomery and at Montevallo.  In both games, the Lady Blazers used big runs for the victory in the second quarter, outscoring the opposition 44-16 for the frame combined.  For the weekend, VSU shot 42.6 from the field on 52 of 122, while going 15 of 51 from deep and 14 of 22 from the line.  VSU averaged 44.0 rebounds per game and 66.5 points, while the defense was standout, once again.  The Lady Blazers held AUM and UM to just 27.9 shooting on 31 of 111 from the field, while the opponents were just 8 of 44 from beyond the arc (18.2) and were 18 of 28 from the line.  VSU allowed 34.5 rebounds per game and 44.0 point per contest.
 
Heyn and Farrar each averaged double-doubles for the week.  Heyn paced the team, averaging 21.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as she was 15 of 31 from the field, 6 of 15 from beyond the arc and 6 of 9 from the line, while Farrar averaged 15.0 points per game and a team-high 12.5 rebounds per contest.  Farrar went 14 of 25 from the field and pulled down 25 rebounds, including ten on the offensive end.  The duo combined for nine steals, four blocks and nine assists.  Heyn scored a career-high 32 points at Montevallo on 10 of 15 from the field, 6 of 8 from beyond the arc and 6 of 9 from the line with 12 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season.  
 
Heading into the week, VSU has a 19-4 record overall and a 14-2 mark in Gulf South Conference play, sitting second in the league standings.  VSU has clinched a home game on Super Tuesday, Mar. 1, 2022, for the first round of the conference tournament.  Union leads the standings with a 14-0 record in league play and a 19-2 mark overall.  Lee sits third with an 11-3 mark in the GSC and an 18-4 record overall, while West Florida is fourth at 11-5 in league play and 17-6 overall.  West Alabama is fifth this week at 8-6 in the GSC and 14-8 overall. 
 
Information on the Super Tuesday home game is linked to the right of this story or by clicking here.  
 
Valdosta State currently is 26^th nationally in the newest WBCA Top 25, while Lee is 25^th in the rankings.  Union is fifth nationally to lead the league and the region, while Eckerd is 12^th, Savannah State is 15^th and Tampa is 21^st.  Along with VSU, Tuskegee and Benedict are among others receiving votes from the South Region.  In the D2SIDA Top 25, Union is fifth, followed by Eckerd at 15^th and Tampa is 22^nd.  VSU and Savannah State both are among others receiving votes.
 
No. 25 Lee enters the week following a 67-60 loss at Alabama Huntsville on Saturday, snapping an eight-game winning streak.  The Lady Flames won 83-54 at Shorter on Monday to improve to 19-4 overall and 12-3 in league play, sitting 1.5 games back of the Lady Blazers.  Against Shorter, Hannah Garrett had 21 points leading five players in double figures as she was 7 of 10 from the field, 6 of 9 from beyond the arc and 1 of 2 from the line.  Lee shot 57.1 percent for the game and 11 of 25 from beyond the arc, while hit held Shorter to 37.5 percent shooting and 4 of 15 from deep.  Tiara Lewis had 16 points leading three Lady Hawks in double figures.
 
The Lady Flames, who were ranked 20^th nationally at the time on Dec. 13, 2021, jumped out to a 22-4 lead in the first quarter over VSU as the Lady Blazers were unable to make up the difference over the final three stanzas in the first meeting this season.  VSU battled back and outscored Lee 41-34 over the final three quarters.  Farrar had a team-high 15 points and 14 rebounds, while sophomore Lili Long added 11 points.  VSU went just 1 of 11 from the field in the first quarter and shot 32.6 percent for the game, but was just 3 of 16 from beyond the arc and 12 of 24 from the line.  Lee didn't shoot much better for the game for 36 percent, but was 16 of 20 from the line.  Haley Schubert led the Lady Flames with 12 points.
 
For the season, Schubert leads the team averaging 17.4 points per game.  She is 147 of 352 from the field (.418), while going 86 of 107 from the line for a .804 clip.  Schubert has 123 assists to lead the team and 56 steals.  Halle Hughes is second in scoring at 11.3 points per game, while Hannah Garrett is third in scoring at 10.4 points per game. Camryn Grant leads the team averaging 5.7 rebounds per game, while Hughes is second at 5.6 per contest.  The Lady Flames are shooting at a 45 percent clip for the season, while going 158 of 482 from deep and 285 of 358 (.796) from the line.  Lee is holding teams to a .358 clip from the field and a .278 average from beyond the arc on 120 of 431.  Lee is averaging 72.8 points per game and allowing 56.7 per contest.  
 
VSU leads the all-time series 11-10 as the Lady Blazers have won four of the past seven meetings.  The Lady Blazers are 5-3 all-time in Valdosta against Lee, but lost in the Super Tuesday game last season on Mar. 5, 2021, with a 74-71 setback.  In that game, Lee raced out to a 26-12 lead in the first quarter as VSU roared back over the final three quarters and outscored the Lady Flames 34-27 in the second half.  VSU held a 71-69 lead with 2:31 to go on a triple from now graduate student Delaney Bernard, but didn't score the rest of the way.  VSU then defeated Lee in the first round of the NCAA South Regional, 74-64, winning three of five meetings against the Lady Flames last season.
 
Shorter enters the week following the Lee game on Monday with a 4-13 record overall and a 1-12 mark in the GSC.  The Hawks notched their first win in league play with a 71-69 victory over West Alabama on Feb. 9.  SU will play at West Florida on Thursday, before heading to Valdosta for Saturday's matchup.  The Hawks are led by Jasmine Gaines who averaging 19.2 points per game.  She is 114 of 277 from the field (.412) and 25 of 68 from deep (.368).  Gaines is 74 of 92 from the line for an .804 clip and is second in rebounding at 4.7 per game.  Lewis leads the team in rebounding at 7.7 and third in scoring at 9.8 per game, while Kelly Pickett is second in scoring at 12.5 points per game.  
 
VSU has won 18 of the last 23 games in the series and 12-straight dating back to a 70-63 setback in Rome, Ga., on Jan. 9, 2017.  VSU won 88-40 back on Dec. 11, 2021, at Shorter behind 23 points from Farrar on 11 of 13 from the field and seven rebounds, while freshman India Jordan added 17 points off the bench and graduate student Mallory Odell chipped in 13 points off the bench.  VSU shot 55.6 percent for the game, while holding SU to 30 percent shooting.
 
This season, the Lady Blazers are seventh nationally in scoring defense holding teams to 53.5 points per game for tops in the league.  VSU is 12^th nationally in 3-point field goal defense, holding teams to a 24.7 clip for best in the league.  VSU is 19^th nationally in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to a 34.8 clip.   The Lady Blazers are 28^thnationally in assists (367) for best in the GSC, while they are 34^th nationally in field goal percentage (44.5), 37^th in 3-point field goals made (173) and 21^st in 3-point field goal percentage at a 35.4 clip on 173 of 489.  VSU is 23^rdnationally in rebounding margin at an 8.0 clip, while it is third in the GSC in defensive rebounds (27.8) and sixth in offensive rebounds per game at an 11.5 average.  
 
Individually, Farrar is ninth nationally in field goal percentage at a 58.8 clip on 147 of 250 from the floor.  She is second in the league in made field goals (147), while she is sixth in the league in rebounds per game at an 8.5 clip, while averaging 3.8 offensive rebounds per game for 29^th nationally and second in the league.  Heyn is fourth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at a 47.2 clip on 42 of 89 from deep.  She is fourth in the GSC in defensive rebounds per game at a 6.2 clip, while she is sixth in the league in steals with 42.  Francis is fourth in the league in assists with 89 for a 3.9 average.
 
Following the two games this week, the Lady Blazers close the regular season next Saturday at 4 p.m. at West Georgia.