VALDOSTA, Ga. – Coming off two big wins last week, the Valdosta State women's basketball team continues on the road on Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Clayton State in Morrow, Ga.  
 
The game will be broadcast on Talk 92.1 WDDQ FM in Valdosta and www.talk921.com online with Jaylan Scott having the call.  Check back with vstateblazers.com on the women's basketball schedule page for links to live stats and audio/video streaming of the game.
 
VSU enters after a pair of big wins this past week in a 64-57 victory over previously unbeaten Lynn last Monday, while the Lady Blazers battled back from 12 points down to defeat Georgia Southwestern 90-79 in overtime on the road last Thursday.  Against GSW, senior Kiersten Nelson had a VSU career-high 24 points and 16 rebounds, while sophomore Erin Whalen had 24 points, eight rebounds and five steals in the game, going 11 of 18 from the field and 2 of 5 from distance.  The Lady Blazers outscored GSW 15-4 in the extra-session and began overtime on a commanding 13-2 run. 
 
The Lady Blazers improved to 4-1 on the year with the two wins last week as they are averaging 74.6 points per game and allowing 60.4 per contest.  VSU is shooting a .433 clip on 142 of 328 from the field, while it is 23 of 90 from distance (.256) and 66 of 97 from the line (.680).  The Lady Blazers are averaging 34.8 rebounds per game and out-rebounding the opposition by 4.8 rebounds per contest.  VSU is averaging 13.4 assists per game, 15.0 turnovers per game and 12.4 steals per contest for the season.  The Lady Blazers have a 6.2 ratio in turnovers per game, forcing 21.2 miscues per game by the opposition.  Along with allowing 60.4 points per game, teams are shooting .400 against the Lady Blazers on 104 of 260 from the floor, while the opponents are 21 of 77 from distance (.273) and 73 of 113 from the line (.646).  
 
Nelson leads the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game as she is 34 of 63 from the field (.540), while she is 16 of 23 from the line (.696).  She has ten offensive rebounds and 27 on the defensive end for a 7.4 average per game.  Whalen is second in scoring at a double-double with 13.6 points and a team-high 10.0 rebounds per game.  Whalen is 30 of 67 from the field (.448), while she is 4 of 17 from deep (.235) and 4 of 7 from the line.  She has a team-high 15 offensive rebounds and 35 on the defensive end, while registering a team-high 12 steals and four blocks.  Junior Aryana Hicks is third in scoring at 11.6 points per game.  She is 24 of 46 from the field (.522) and 10 of 14 from the line, while leading the team with 21 assists and second in steals with ten. Lady Blazer head coach Chandler Merkerson is 4-1 in her first season at the helm of the program.
 
VSU leads the all-time series with Clayton State, 3-1.  VSU won 72-59 in Valdosta on Nov. 21, 2023, in the first meeting between the two teams since 2006.  In the game last season, current senior Victoria Ikenasio had 11 points on 5 of 7 from the field and five rebounds with one free throw. Seniors Jacey Justice and Courtney Stothard each had seven points.  Clayton State's Jadah Waite had 16 points to pace the Lakers as the only player in double figures.  This marks the first meeting in Morrow, Ga., since VSU won 57-56, in the first meeting in series history on Dec. 7, 1999.   
 
The Lakers enter the game at 2-4 coming off an 81-62 loss home loss to Fayetteville State on Saturday.  In the game, Clayton State was just 4 of 12 from the line, while FSU was 15 of 16 and FSU out-rebounded the Lakers, 41-27 and 17-8 on the offensive end.  Four of five starters for Clayton State were in double figures led by 12 points from Kyla Greene. 
 
Clayton State was picked sixth in the preseason Peach Belt Conference poll.  Waite, who led the team scoring last season, leads the team this season at 16.7 points per game.  She is 35 of 82 from the field (.427) and a team-best 11 of 30 from distance (.367), while going 19 of 25 from the line (.760).  She has 15 steals to lead the team.  Jasmyn Burts, who finished second in scoring a season ago, is second in scoring in 2024-25 averaging 10.5 points per game.  She has 21 made field goals for a .333 average, while she is 5 of 20 from distance and has made 16 free throws for second on the team.  Etaria Gibbons is third in scoring at 8.2 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 5.8 per contest.  
 
The Lakers are under the direction of Kaleena Coleman, who is in her 11^th season at the helm of the program.  She is 172-114.  The Lakers went 9-19 last season.  
 
Following the game Tuesday, the Lady Blazers have the rest of the week off from games for Thanksgiving and will return to action on Dec. 5-7 as they head to Alabama for a pair of matches at West Alabama and Alabama Huntsville to open Gulf South Conference play.  VSU then returns to The Complex for three games before the Christmas holiday, beginning Dec. 15.