VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's basketball team is scheduled to host Clayton State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at The Complex, prior to Thanksgiving and then will open Gulf South Conference play on the road on Saturday, Nov. 25 at Lee and then Monday, Nov. 27 at Shorter.  
 
Fans can access links to live stats and streaming of the game Tuesday evening at vstateblazers.com on the women's basketball schedule page.  Listen to the game on TALK 92.1 WDDQ FM with Mike Chason having the call, while the game also will be streamed on FloSports with Spencer Van Horn providing commentary.  The road games at Lee and Shorter will be broadcast on the radio at Fox Sports Valdosta 94.3 FM and 1150 AM with Jack Calhoun on the call.
 
VSU enters the week with a 2-1 record after a 75-59 victory over Brewton-Parker last Monday in the 2023-24 home-opener.  VSU shot 48.4 percent from the field against the Barons and was 30 of 60 from the floor, while going 5 of 19 from deep and 10 of 12 from the line.  The Lady Blazers held a commanding 49-24 lead in rebounding and a 20-9 lead in points off turnovers, forcing BPC into 14 miscues.  Lady Blazer junior Taylor Searcey went 6 of 11 from the field and 2 of 2 from the line for 14 points leading four players in double figures.  She recorded her seventh double-double of her career with 14 rebounds, including nine on the defensive end.  Senior Emma Martin had a team-high 16 points on 7 of 13 from the field and two triples.  Junior Kalifa Ford chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds and a team-best 5 of 6 at the line, while senior Lili Long had 12 points off the bench.  
 
For the season, Martin leads the team averaging 16.0 points per game on 17 of 29 from the floor, while she is 11 of 19 from deep and 3 of 4 from the line.  Ford is second in scoring at 15.0 points per game on 14 of 29 from the field and a team-best 15 of 18 from the line.  Searcey leads the team averaging 8.5 rebounds per game, while Ford is at a 7.3 clip per contest on the glass.
 
VSU leads the all-time series with Clayton State 2-1 as the teams have not met since CSU won 78-71 on Dec. 16, 2006, in The Complex.   The teams also met in a neutral site matchup in 2001, with VSU winning 73-64 and the Lady Blazers won in Morrow, Ga., on Dec. 7, 1999, 57-56.  
 
Lady Blazer head coach Deandra Schirmer is in her fifth year at the helm of the program as she is 86-29 overall and 63-18 in GSC play.  Searcey was named to the Preseason All-GSC Team, while the Lady Blazers were picked third in the preseason coaches poll. Lee was picked second behind league-favorite Union, while Shorter was picked 13^th.  
 
Clayton State enters with an 0-4 record on the year after it was swept last weekend at the North Georgia Classic, losing to Lincoln Memorial (77-64) and Tusculum (83-66).  The Lakers opened the season with losses at home to University of Virginia-Wise (69-64 OT) and Anderson (80-60).  Clayton State was picked to finish tied for fourth in the Peach Belt Conference preseason coaches poll with Augusta.  Last season, Clayton State went 19-12 overall and 12-6 in PBC play, bowing out of the NCAA Southeast Regional in the second round with a 75-49 loss to top-seeded Catawba. 
 
The Lakers are coached by Kaleena Coleman who is 161-95 at Clayton State in her tenth season.  She welcomes back five players from last season as Jadah Waite leads the returning player in points per game from last season (6.4), while Jasmyn Burts averaged 3.9 per game.  Coleman added the services of nine newcomers including Savannah State transfer Azhana Maxwell, along with Texas Southern transfer Tameria White and Lenoir-Rhyne transfer Sariya Henry.  Nina Blade also joined the team as a transfer from Kentucky State.  Coleman also added the services of a number of junior college transfers.  This season, Waite leads the team averaging 14.0 points per game on 18 of 51 from the field and 13 of 16 from the line.  Wright is second in scoring at 7.8 points per game and is 10 of 37 from the field, including 10 of 26 from deep.  As a team, the Lakers are shooting .357 from the field on 96 of 269, while they are 22 of 79 from deep (.278) and 40 of 59 from the line (.678).  Clayton State is averaging 63.5 points per game and allowing 77.3, while the team is averaging 36.5 rebounds per game and allowing 41.0 per contest.  
 
Lee enters with a 1-2 record on the year after a 66-63 win over Trevecca Nazarene on Saturday in a game where the Lady Flames had a huge lead only to see TNU outscore Lee 27-5 in the fourth quarter as Lee held on for dear life for the victory.  The Lady Flames opened the season with a loss to No. 5 Tampa 73-64 in Huntsville, Ala., and a 76-64 setback to Florida Southern on Nov. 10-11.  
 
Along with Searcey being named the preseason all-GSC team, Lee's Mallory Hampton also earned all-league honors.  Hampton leads Lee this season in scoring at 18.0 points per game.  She is 15 of 33 from the field (.455) and 20 of 25 from the line (.800).  Mia Alexander is second in scoring at 8.0 points per game, while Addison Smith leads the team with five made triples this season.  As a team, the Lady Flames are shooting .455 from the field on 71 of 146, while they are 22 of 69 from deep (.319) and 30 of 37 from the line (.811).  Lee is averaging 64.7 points per game and averaging 28.7 rebounds per game. 
 
In what has become quite a rivalry over the last few years, Lee leads the series by the slimmest of margins, 14-13, and has won the last three.  VSU has gone 3-7 in Cleveland, Tenn., with its last win coming there on Jan. 16, 2021, 63-57.  Schirmer is 6-7 against Lee at the helm of the Lady Blazers.
 
Shorter is 1-3 on the year and will host West Florida on Saturday, before entertaining the Lady Blazers on Monday.  SU won its first game of the season with a 68-65 win over Oakwood University on Nov. 15 and then lost to Georgia College 69-52 on Nov. 18. This season the Hawks are led by Tiara Lewis who is averaging 13.8 points per game on 17 of 42 from the field (.405) and 20 of 36 from the line.  She is averaging a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game as well.  Courtney Lumpkins is second in scoring at 11.5 points per game and a team-best 6 of 9 from beyond the arc.  
 
Head coach LaSheena Brooks is in his third year of coaching and is 8-45 at the helm of the Hawks.  The Hawks finished 2-25 last season and 2-22 in GSC play.  The Lady Blazers have won 21 of the last 24 meetings in the series dating back to Jan. 5, 2013.  VSU has won 15-straight in the series dating back to Shorter's 70-63 victory in Rome, Ga., on Jan. 9, 2017.  Last season, VSU won 63-56 in Rome on Jan. 12, 2023, and 81-44 in Valdosta on Nov. 19, 2022.  VSU has won nine of the last 12 in Rome and seven-straight.              
 
Following the trip this week, VSU returns home to host Delta State and Mississippi College on Dec. 1 and Dec. 3, respectively at The Complex.