VALDOSTA, Ga. – Coming off an 89-47 victory over Brewton-Parker College on Tuesday, Nov. 12, the Valdosta State women's basketball team will conclude its four-game home stand to begin the 2024-25 season Monday at 6 p.m. at The Complex versus Lynn University. 
 
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 game will be broadcast on 94.3 WJEM FM and 1150 AM and online at www.foxsportsvaldosta.com with Mike Chason having the call.
 
The Lady Blazers enter with a 2-1 record overall, while Lynn is 3-0 as the Fighting Knights are coming off a 61-55 win over Claflin on Saturday.  For the Lady Blazers against BPC, the offense got on track as they shot a season-best 51.5 percent from the field on 35 of 68 from the field, while going a season-best 11 of 29 from beyond the arc and were 8 of 9 from the line.  Five different players were in double figures, led by 15 points off the bench from senior Jillian Schenk on 5 of 9 from the field and 5 of 7 from distance.  Once again, sophomore Erin Whalen narrowly missed a double-double with ten points and nine rebounds.  She has missed a double-double by one point or one in each of the three games thus far.  The Lady Blazer "D" held BPC to just 17 of 49 from the field (34.7), 4 of 14 from distance and 9 of 19 from the line, while forcing 24 turnovers for a 35-5 advantage in points off turnovers. 
 
Following Monday's game, VSU heads on the road for four games and won't return to The Complex until Dec. 15 in a Gulf South Conference matchup with West Florida at 4 p.m.  
 
This season, senior Kiersten Nelson leads the team averaging 15.7 points headlining three players in double figures.  Nelson, a Samford University transfer, is 19 of 37 from the field for a .514 clip, while averaging 5.7 rebounds for second on the team.  Junior Aryana Hicks is second in scoring at 11.3 points per game.  She is 15 of 30 from the field and 4 of 4 from the line, along with ten assists to lead the team.  Whalen is third in scoring at 10.7 points per game and she leads the team averaging 10.3 rebounds per game.  Whalen is 14 of 33 from the field (.424) and has a team-high three blocks.  
 
As a team, VSU is shooting .405 from the field on 82 of 205, while the team is 17 of 67 from distance (.254) and 36 of 51 from the line (.706).  VSU is averaging 36.3 rebounds per game, while scoring 73.0 points per contest.  Conversely, the defense is holding teams to 55.3 points per game and the opposition is shooting .375 from the field on 55 of 152.  The opponents are 12 of 43 from beyond the arc (.279) and 40 of 73 from the line (.548).  VSU is allowing 30.7 rebounds per game, while forcing 19.7 turnovers per contest for a +6.7 average in turnover margin.  
 
The Fighting Knights have a pair wins, in addition to the Claflin victory, over Gulf South Conference teams with wins over Christian Brothers (76-62) and Trevecca Nazarene (54-49) the opening weekend of the season.  Jess Knight lead the team averaging 14.3 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game for the Fighting Knights.  She is 16 of 35 from the field (.457) and 11 of 17 from the line (.647), while pulling down 29 rebounds in three starts, along with a team-high six blocks.  Rachel Romich is second in scoring at 11.0 points per game.  She is 6 of 15 from distance and 11 of 23 from the field (.478).  Danielle Montelbano is a team-best 14 of 18 from the line and fourth on the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game.  
 
The Fighting Knights are under the direction of head coach Julia Tucker who is 105-120 in her tenth season. Tucker guided Lynn to the NCAA South Regional in Tampa in 2022-23, with a 23-9 record and the program's second-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament (2009-2010).  VSU leads the all-time series with Lynn 3-1 as the teams have not met since the 2019-20 season in a 73-62 victory by VSU in Boca Raton, Fla. This is the first time Lynn has visited Valdosta since the 2017-18 season in a 73-62 victory by the Lady Blazers on Dec. 10.  Lynn's lone victory in the series came on Nov. 20, 2018, in Boca Raton in a 65-63 decision where LU hit a layup at the buzzer for the win after VSU tied the game with ten seconds to play. 
 
Lynn was picked sixth in the Sunshine State Conference preseason coaches poll and this is the third team VSU has faced from the SSC this season (Palm Beach Atlantic, Eckerd).  The Fighting Knights return the top four scorers from last season in Ella Fiore, Montelbano, Trinity Mocadlo and Makayla Hemingway. Knight transferred to Lynn from Southern New Hampshire.