CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Turnovers proved costly for the Valdosta State women's basketball team in a 59-53 loss at Lee in the Gulf South Conference opener for both teams Saturday afternoon.
 
VSU (3-2, 0-1 GSC) finished with three players in double figures led by 14 points from senior Lili Long as she was 5 of 8 from the field and drained all four of the Lady Blazers' 3-pointers.  Junior Taylor Searcey had 12 points and senior Aleisha Curry added 10 points off the bench.  VSU finished the game 18 of 40 from the field, while going just 4 of 13 from deep and 13 of 18 from the line with 27 rebounds and 13 points off 16 Lady Flame miscues. 
 
Lee (2-2, 1-0 GSC) went 19 of 48 from the field and 4 of 16 from deep, while going 17 of 18 from the line and was led by 23 points from Mallory Hampton as she was 6 of 16 from the field, 1 of 5 from distance and 10 of 10 from the line, along with six assists and seven steals.  Lee scored 17 points off the Lady Blazers' 25 miscues. 
 
Both teams were neck-and-neck through the first quarter as VSU would build a four-point cushion only to see Lee respond each time to tie the game.  VSU held an 11-7 lead with 3:58 left in the opening stanza, before a triple from Kara Williams pulled Lee within 11-10.  Later, two tosses from Williams pulled the Lady Flames within 13-12 with 3:05 left in the quarter.  Lee's Mia Hurst gave it the first lead of the game at 14-13, but two tosses from Searcey gave the lead back to the Lady Blazers and junior Jacey Justice had a steal and score for a 17-16 lead for the red and black at the quarter break.
 
Hampton started a 6-0 run as VSU went cold from the 8:59 mark to a bucket from Curry in the paint for a 24-21 deficit with 3:05 left in the half.  Lee stretched the lead back to five, but Curry hit two free throws for a 26-23 deficit at halftime.  In the third, Long drained a triple with 7:47 to play for a 32-28 lead and then later junior Victoria Ikenasio had a theft and bucket for a 36-30 lead with 5:04 left in the frame.  Hampton had two free throws at the buzzer tying the game at 38 as Lee finished the quarter on an 8-2 run as Ikenasio's bucket was the final made field goal of the quarter for the Lady Blazers.
 
Lady Blazer junior Kalifa Ford earned the "and one" for a 49-47 lead with 3:19 to go in the contest, but Lee's Haylee Johnson hit a huge triple after a steal for a 51-49 lead with 2:16 to play.  Curry scored inside to tie the game at 51 with 1:53 to go, but Hampton again had the answer with 1:27 to play.  A steal and bucket pushed the lead to four, but Curry scored for a 55-53 deficit with 45 seconds to play.  Lee made its final four free throws in the final minute for the 59-53 final margin.
 
VSU heads to Rome, Ga., to take on Shorter on Monday at 5:30 p.m., before returning home to host Delta State on Friday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. at The Complex and Mississippi College on Sunday, Dec. 3, at 2 p.m.