VALDOSTA, Ga. – Riding an 18-game winning streak for the second-longest current winning streak in NCAA Division II Women's Basketball, the No. 3/8 Valdosta State women's basketball team returns to the road, this weekend at West Florida at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday in Pensacola, Fla. 
 
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 the radio on TALK 92.1 WDDQ FM with Jack Calhoun having the call.    
 
Looking at the GSC standings, the Lady Blazers lead the league by one game over Union and have the tiebreaker with the Lady Bulldogs, beating them twice this season.  VSU has clinched a spot in the conference tournament and clinched a home game on Mar. 5 for "Super Tuesday".  VSU is 18-1 in GSC play, while Union is 17-2.  Auburn Montgomery and Lee are tied for third at 14-6, while Montevallo and Delta State are tied for fifth at 11-9.  West Florida sits a half game back of UM and DSU at 10-9, while West Georgia is eighth at 9-10, one half game ahead of Mississippi College (9-11).  
 
In the national polls, VSU moved to third in the D2 College Sports Communicators Top 25 this week following the thrilling 74-56 victory last Saturday against Union at The Complex.  The No. 3 ranking is the highest for VSU in the D2CSC poll in program history and garnered all six, first place votes and 60 points in the D2CSC South Region Top Ten.  Ashland (Ohio) took over the top spot this week with 15 first-place votes and 399 points.  Ferris State sits second with 356 points, followed by VSU (344), Harding and Jefferson round out the top five.  Gannon, is sixth and has the remaining first-place nod, followed by Grand Valley State, Southern Nazarene, Texas Woman's and Azusa Pacific rounds out the top ten. 
 
Nova Southeastern is 12^th this week among teams from the South Region, followed by Union at 15^th and Tampa at 24^th.  Nova Southeastern, Union and Tampa, respectively, follow VSU in the South Region Poll and Embry-Riddle rounds out the top five.  Auburn Montgomery sits sixth, followed by a tie for seventh between Lee and Miles, while Kentucky State is ninth and Eckerd is tenth.  Savanna State and West Florida are among others receiving votes.
 
As for the WBCA Top 25, Ashland also leads the top 25 with 22 first-place votes and 573 points.  Grand Valley State is second with 547 points and one first-place nod, while Jefferson is third, followed by Ferris State and Gannon is fifth. Harding is sixth, followed by Union at seventh, who VSU handed the Lady Bulldogs' only two losses of the season.  VSU is eighth, followed by Texas Woman's and Southern Nazarene is tenth.  Nova Southeastern and Tampa are tied for 21^st and Miles is among others receiving votes this week.
 
The 18-game winning streak is tied for the second-longest streak in NCAA Division II with Azusa Pacific (Calif.), while Minnesota State has won 19-straight.  The 18-game streak is the second-longest streak in program history as VSU won 21-straight games during the 1983-84 season.
 
VSU enters with a 21-2 record overall under fifth-year head coach Deandra Schirmer.  Schirmer is 105-30 in her time in Titletown and 81-19 in GSC play.  This season, the Lady Blazers are fourth nationally in field goal percentage at a 47.2 clip for tops in the GSC, while they are second in the league in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to a 37.0 clip.  UWF leads the league in field goal percentage defense at a 35.5 clip.  VSU is 11^th nationally and top in the league in scoring defense, holding teams to 54.4 points per game, while it is 11^th nationally in scoring margin at a 17.7 clip for second in the league.  VSU is ninth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at a 36.4 clip to lead the league, while it is second in the league in free throw percentage (76.2), rebounding margin (7.1), scoring offense (72.1), turnover margin (4.00), second in turnovers forced per game (18.78).  
 
Individually, senior Emma Martin is sixth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at a 45.8 clip on 49 of 107 from distance for the season.  Martin averages 2.13 triples per game for fifth in the GSC, while she also is fifth in the league in assist/turnover ratio at a 2.08 clip.  Junior Kalifa Ford is second in the GSC in field goal percentage at a 51.9 clip on 121 of 233 from the field.  Senior Aleisha Curry is second in the GSC in free throw percentage at an 84.9 clip on 79 of 93 from the line.  
 
In the first matchup with West Florida, VSU won 75-67 in Valdosta on Jan. 2, 2024.  The Lady Blazers trailed by as many as seven in the second half, but outscored UWF 25-14 in the fourth quarter as VSU went 10 of 14 from the field and 2 of 3 form deep in the final stanza.  For the second half, VSU shot 18 of 29 from the field after opening the game just 12 of 31 from the field for the first half.  Ford had 26 points leading three Lady Blazers in double figures as she was 11 of 14 from the field, 1 of 1 from range and 3 of 3 from the line.  Senior Taylor Searcey added 18 points and Curry chipped in 11 off the bench.  Tyashia Bostick and Brooke Kane each had 16 points for UWF.  
 
VSU is 27-21 since 2000 against UWF and has won four of the last five in the series.  The Lady Blazers have won the last two meetings in Pensacola and are 10-12 there all-time.  Schirmer is 5-2 against UWF.
 
The Argos are 13-10 overall and 10-9 in GSC play and are coming off a heartbreaking 64-61 loss to AUM on Monday in a makeup game from earlier in the season.  AUM held a 15-2 lead in points off turnovers in the game as UWF forced just four miscues by the Warhawks in the game.  UWF had double-doubles from Claire Sutherland-Case (15 pts. / 11 rebs.) and Kane (12 pts. / 11 rebs.) as Bostick led the way with 15 points.  This season UWF is 2-7 in games decided by six points or less.
 
UWF is under the direction of head coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton who is 259-215 in her 17^th season overall of coaching and her 12^th at UWF (203-131).  The Argos are 12^th nationally in rebounding margin (8.0) to lead the league, while they are ninth nationally in defensive rebounds per game (30.3).  UWF leads the league in rebounding at 41.83 contest for 30^th nationally, while the team is 24^th nationally in field goal percentage defense (35.5) to lead the league.  UWF averages 4.6 blocks per game for 15^th nationally to lead the league.  
 
Individually, Moriah Taylor is third nationally in assist/turnover ratio at a 3.32 clip to lead the league, while Sutherland-Case is tops in the league in blocks per game at 2.0 and second in the league in total blocks with 44.  Kane is second in the GSC in free throws attempted (121) and third in free throws made (80).  Kane and Bostick each have 98 made field goals for the season to lead the team, while Bostick leads the team with 40 made 3-pointers for the season. Kane averages a team-high 13.2 points per game, while Sutherland-Case leads the team averaging 6.4 rebounds per game.