VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's basketball team looks to get back on the winning track hosting Gulf South Conference newcomer Trevecca Nazarene on Thursday at 6 p.m. at The Complex and then on Saturday at 2 p.m. versus No. 21 Lee, prior to the Christmas holiday.
 
VSU (6-3, 1-2 GSC) is coming off disappointing 64-62 loss to West Florida on Sunday in a game in which the Lady Blazers had double-doubles from senior Kiersten Nelson with 15 points and ten rebounds, while sophomore Erin Whalen had 13 points and ten rebounds.  The Lady Blazers struggled from the charity stripe, going just 12 of 24, while they were 2 of 10 from distance.  UWF was 10 of 25 from deep and 6 of 10 from the line.  
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more of the games this week at vstateblazers.com on the women's basketball schedule page.  The games both Thursday and Saturday will be on 94.3 WJEM Fox Sports Valdosta and www.foxsportsvaldosta.com.  Mike Chason will have the radio call of both games, while both will be streamed on FloCollege with Spencer Van Horn.  
 
Trevecca Nazarene enters with a 4-6 record overall and a 1-3 mark in the GSC in its inaugural season as a league member.  The Trojans are coming off a pair of wins over Lane College (45-41) and West Alabama (67-50) after starting the season 2-6.  Amaya Thomas leads the way for TNU averaging 10.7 points per game on 41 of 91 from the floor.  She is 7 of 25 from distance and 18 of 24 from the line (.750) to lead the team.  Thomas is second on the team in rebounding at 5.4 per contest.  Tatum Shaw is second in scoring at 9.5 points per game on 35 of 102 from the field.  She leads the team from beyond the arc, going 22 of 66 (.333).  Cheyenne Trotter leads the team averaging 7.7 rebounds per game and she is averaging 8.1 points per contest.  
 
As a team, the Trojans are shooting .391 from the field on 202 of 517 from the field, while holding teams to a .379 clip on 222 of 585.  TNU is 44 of 160 from deep (.275) and 94 of 150 from the line (.627).  The Trojans average 54.2 points per game and allow 60.8, while the team is averaging 35.1 rebounds per game and allowing 36.6 per contest.  Head coach Karen Booker is in her third year at the helm of the Trojans.  She is 45-38 at TNU and is in her seventh season as a head coach going 71-104.  
 
This marks the first meeting in program history with Trevecca for the Lady Blazers.  
 
Lee enters at 9-1 this season and has won its last three games as the Lady Flames will play at West Florida on Thursday, before visiting The Complex Saturday afternoon.  Lee dropped its first game of the season and first league game in a 67-59 loss at Montevallo, but has a 73-57 win over Auburn Montgomery, along with an 82-66 win over West Alabama and handed Alabama Huntsville its first conference loss with a 66-51 victory this past Saturday.  Lee is 3-1 in GSC play this season.  
 
For the Lady Flames, Mallory Hampton enters averaging 18.9 points per game as she is 63 of 111 (.568) from the field, while going 22 of 41 from distance and a team-best 41 of 47 from the line.  She is 21^stnationally in field goal percentage and fifth nationally in 3-point percentage.  Hampton is second on the team in assists (41) and has a team-high 24 steals.  Second on the team in scoring is Haylee Johnson at 10.0 points per game.  Johnson is 37 of 90 from the field (.411) and leads the team with 42 assists.  Baylee Delbridge leads the team in rebounding at 4.8 per contest. 
 
As a team, the Lady Flames are shooting at a .459 clip on 265 of 577 from the field for 19^th nationally.  Lee is 91 of 261 from beyond the arc (.349) for third in the league in 3-point field goal percentage, while it is 112 of 144 from the line (.778) for 21^st nationally and tops in the GSC at the stripe. Head coach Marty Rowe is 650-206 overall in his career in 27 seasons, while he is 519-141 at Lee in his 21^st season. 
 
Since 2013, the Lady Blazers and the Lady Flames are all square at 15-15 in the series history.  VSU has won the last two meetings to even the series with a 63-58 win in Birmingham, Ala., in the conference title game last season and VSU won 80-50 in the home meeting last season, while Lee won 59-53 in Cleveland, Tenn., in 2023-24.  Prior to the last two meetings, Lee had won five of the last seven.  Since the beginning of 2019, the series has seen 17 games with VSU holding a slim 9-8 lead marking the most games against one GSC school during that span. 
 
For VSU, the Lady Blazers are led by Nelson who is averaging 15.8 points per game on 49 of 93 from the field (.527).  Whalen is second in scoring at 12.7 points per game, while she is 50 of 107 form the field (.467) and leads the team averaging 9.1 rebounds per game.  Whalen has a team-high 22 steals and is third in assists with 21.  Junior Aryana Hicks is third in scoring at 11.3 points per game.  She is 42 of 75 from the field (.560) and has a team-high 37 assists with 18 steals.  Junior Mary McMorris is fourth in scoring at 10.2 points per game. She is 31 of 81 from the field (.383) and leads the team from distance, going 11 of 27 (.407).  
 
As a team, the Lady Blazers are shooting at a .441 clip on 245 of 556 from the field, while they are 44 of 157 from distance (.280) and 113 of 19 from the line (.631).  The Lady Blazers are averaging 71.9 points per game and allowing 62.9 per contest as the opposition is shooting .408 against them on 198 of 485.  VSU owns a 36.2 to 30.6 advantage on the glass this season under first-year head coach Chandler Merkerson. 
 
Following the games this week, VSU will break for the holiday season and return to action on the road Jan. 2 and Jan. 4, respectively, at Mississippi College and Delta State, before opening 2025 at home versus Union on Jan. 9.