VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 11/15 Valdosta State women's basketball team returns to the road riding a 13-game winning streak as it travels to The Magnolia State for two games this week.  VSU is coming off a pair of home victories over Shorter and Lee this past week to open the second half of Gulf South Conference play.
 
This week, VSU travels to Delta State for a 6:30 p.m. ET tip on Thursday, Jan. 25, followed by a 3 p.m. ET tip on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Mississippi College.  VSU downed Delta State 77-57 on Dec. 1, in Valdosta and won 73-44 over the Choctaws of Mississippi College on Dec. 3 also in Valdosta.  Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming and more at vstateblazers.com on the women's basketball schedule page.  The games this week will be broadcast on 94.3 FM WJEM on Thursday and Talk 92.1 WDDQ FM on Saturday with Jack Calhoun having the call both days.
 
The Lady Blazers enter the week with a 16-2 record overall and a 13-1 mark in GSC play sitting atop the league standings.  Union is second in the standings at 12-1 in league play and 18-1 overall.  Montevallo and Lee are tied for third at 9-5, while West Florida is fifth at 8-5.  Delta State sits at 6-6 in league play and 8-8 overall, while Mississippi College is 5-7 in conference play and 6-9 overall.  
 
VSU moved up three spots in the newest WBCA Top 25 to 15^th this week.  Union moved from fourth to third, followed by VSU for teams ranked in the GSC.  Miles College is 20^th, followed by Tampa at 21^st to round out teams ranked in the South Region.  Kentucky State is among others receiving votes.  Ashland (Ohio) moved into the top spot in the WBCA Top 25, while Gannon (Pa.) is second, followed by Union, Southern Nazarene (Okla.) and Grand Valley State (Mich.) rounds out the top five.   In the D2CSC Poll, VSU remained 11^th for the second-straight week and are second in the D2CSC South Region Top Ten.  Union is fourth nationally in the poll, while the Lady Bulldogs hold their grip on the top spot in the South Region Top Ten.  Nova Southeastern is 17^th nationally, while Tampa is 21^st and Embry-Riddle is among others receiving votes for the top five in order for the region poll.  Montevallo is sixth in the region poll, followed by Kentucky State, Miles, Lee and Rollins.  West Florida and Savannah State are among others receiving votes.
 
Nationally speaking, the Lady Blazers are third nationally in field goal percentage at a .484 clip on 470 of 971 from the field, while the team is seventh nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at a .375 clip on   119 of 317 from distance and 15^th nationally in scoring defense allowing just 55.2 points per game as all lead the GSC.  VSU is second in the league in scoring margin at 17.0 for 13^th nationally, while the team is second in the league in scoring offense at 72.2 points per game for 55^th nationally, second in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to a .370 average and second in the league in steals per game at an 8.9 clip.  The Lady Blazers are forcing 18.67 turnovers per game for second in the league as they are fourth in the GSC in turnover margin at a 6.6 clip, while committing 15.9 turnovers per game for fifth in the GSC.
 
Individually, junior Kalifa Ford leads the team in field goal percentage at a .545 clip on 90 of 165 from the floor for tops in the GSC and 32^nd nationally. She is fourth in the league in field goals made (90) and fourth in the league in points per game at 14.3.  Ford's 33 steals lead the team and are good for eighth in the league.  Senior Aleisha Curry is tops in the GSC in free throw percentage at an .863 clip for 33^rd nationally.  Curry is 69 of 80 from the line this season, while senior Emma Martin has been deadly from downtown, going 42 of 93 from distance for a .452 average for tops in the GSC and ninth nationally.  Her 42 made triples are good for third in the league and 27^th nationally, while she is averaging 2.33 3-pointers per game for fourth in the league and 58^th nationally.  
 
Head coach Deandra Schirmer also guided VSU to a 13-game winning streak last season from Nov. 19, 2022 to Jan. 14, 2023.  A pair of wins this weekend would mark the second-longest winning streak in program history as the 1983-84 team won 21-straight games for the school-record.  The second-longest record is 14 games, set during the 1975-76 season.  This season, the 13-game winning streak is fifth-longest in NCAA Division II currently and is tied for fourth-longest in program history.  Southern Nazarene (Okla.) is the lone unbeaten team in the country at 16-0, while Gannon (Pa.) also has won 16-straight, followed by Lock Haven (Pa.) and UT Tyler (Texas) at 15-straight.  Miles College and Nova Southeastern each have won 12-straight games just behind VSU.  
 
On Saturday, head coach Deandra Schirmer won her 100^th game at the helm of the Lady Blazers in just 130 games (100-30) becoming the fourth coach in program history to achieve 100 victories since 1974.  She is the third-fastest coach to achieve the feat in just 130 games.  Former Lady Blazer head coach Lyndal Worth (1974-1981) needed 120 games, while Charles Cooper (1981-1994) needed 127 as both also achieved the feat in their fifth seasons at the helm of the program.
 
The Lady Blazers exacted a bit of revenge on Saturday in an 80-50 thumping of Lee, who is the only GSC team to defeat VSU thus far.  The Lady Blazers dominated the game from the get go, as Curry was a force inside tying her season-high with 18 points, while going a career-best 12 of 12 from the line with four rebounds, one assist and one steal leading four players in double figures.  Curry finished 3 of 3 from the field for her 12^th game in double figures this season.   Ford was 6 of 10 from the field, 1 of 1 from beyond the arc and 1 of 1 from the line with a team-high seven rebounds and 14 points, while senior Tamiya Francis added 13 points on 4 of 6 from the field, 2 of 3 from distance and 3 of 3 from the line.  Senior Taylor Searcey added ten points and a team-high six assists.  VSU shot 25 of 46 from the field for 54.3 percent, while the team was 9 of 17 from distance and 21 of 24 from the line. 
 
The defense stymied Lee all day holding the Lady Flames to 31.8 percent from the field on 14 of 44 from the floor, while Lee was just 3 of 21 from beyond the arc and 19 of 25 from the line.  Mallory Hampton was the only player in double figures with 15 points on 5 of 12 from the field, 1 of 3 from beyond the arc and 4 of 4 from the line.  Hampton entered the game averaging a league-best 20.0 points per contest for sixth nationally.  VSU entered leading the league in scoring defense allowing just 55.5 points per game for 15^th nationally.  Saturday marked the eighth time this season of holding the opposition under 55 points and the sixth-straight time.  The 80-50 win marked the largest margin of victory in the series for either team and snapped a four-game winning streak in the series by Lee and pulled VSU within one victory of tying the overall series (14-15).  
 
Delta State returns home after a 91-52 loss at Union on Monday.  The Lady Statesmen were led by 16 points from Madi Kate Vuncannon and Grace Watson had 11 points.  Union raced out to a 29-10 lead through the first quarter and held a 57-25 lead at the break.  The Lady Bulldogs forced 34 turnovers by DSU and held a staggering 50-11 lead in points off turnovers.  This season, DSU is led by Daniels who averages 13.0 points per game and is 62 of 186 from the field, while going 25 of 81 from distance and 33 of 41 from the line.  Elisha Wilson is second in scoring at 10.3 points per game and second in rebounding at 6.4 per contest, while Grace Watson leads the team averaging 6.5 rebounds per game. Vuncannon leads the team from distance going 25 of 59 (.424). 
 
As a team, DSU is shooting .391 from the field on 369 of 944 from the floor, while holding teams to a .400 clip on 399 of 997.  DSU is 107 of 324 from beyond the arc (.330) and is 198 of 275 from the line for a .720 average.  The Lady Statesmen are averaging 33.5 rebounds per game and allowing 34.0 per contest, while scoring 61.4 points per game and allowing 64.7 per contest.  
 
VSU has won five-straight in the series with Delta State, including the 77-57 victory on Dec. 1, 2023, in Valdosta.  In that game, VSU raced out to a 23-5 lead in the first quarter and led by as many as 33 in the game.  The Lady Blazers had four players in double figures led by 18 points off the bench from Curry as VSU shot an even 50 percent for the game, went 10 of 27 from distance and 9 of 14 from the line.  VSU forced 19 turnovers by the Lady Statesmen and held a 32-11 lead in points off turnovers as the Lady Blazers had just seven miscues for the game marking a season-best.  Wakiryah Daniels had a team-high 16 points for the Lady Statesmen.  VSU won 44-42 the last time in Cleveland, Miss., on Nov. 26, 2022, while the team is 9-15 in Cleveland, Miss.  During the five-game winning streak by VSU, four of the games have been in Valdosta, while VSU has won three of four in Cleveland.  
 
Mississippi College enters the week having won three of its last four games and will face West Florida prior to VSU visiting on Saturday.  The Choctaws are led this season by Karly Ivy who leads the team averaging 11.5 points per game.  She is 60 of 174 from the field (.345) to lead the team, while she is second on the team in made 3-pointers (18 of 49) and is 23 of 32 from the line.  Brett Gardner leads the team with 22 made 3-pointers on the year, while Amelia Bell leads the team averaging 5.5 rebounds per game.  As a team, the Choctaws are shooting at a .366. clip on 295 of 805 from the field, while the opposition is shooting at a .416 clip on 356 of 856 from the floor.  MC has drained 74 from long distance for a .332 clip (74-223), while the team is 180 of 246 from the line for a .732 average.  The Choctaws average 56.3 points per game and 36.6 rebounds per game, while allowing 68.7 points per game and 32.6 rebound per contest.  
 
VSU leads the all-time series 24-12 and has won the last four in the series, including the 73-44 victory on Dec. 3, 2023, in Valdosta.  In that game, VSU raced out to a 23-9 lead in the first quarter and a 44-23 lead at the break.  VSU had four players in double figures led by a career-high 16 points from junior Victoria Ikenasio, who went 7 of 15 from the field, 2 of 3 from distance and pulled down five rebounds, along with two assists and two blocks.  Gardner was the only Choctaw in double figures with 11 points.  The Lady Blazers have won five of the last six meetings in Clinton, Miss., including a 55-53 victory on Nov. 28, 2022.  Schirmer is 4-2 against MC.  
 
Following the road trip, VSU returns home for three games, beginning Feb. 3 versus West Georgia at 2 p.m. at The Complex.