VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 2/6 Valdosta State women's basketball team outscored visiting West Alabama 55-16 in the second and third quarters combined for a 91-45 victory Thursday evening, earning at least a share of the Gulf South Conference regular season title.  
 
The Lady Blazers (25-2, 22-1 GSC) shot a blistering 57.1 percent for the game on 36 of 63 from the field, shooting 50 percent or better in each quarter.  VSU was 8 of 20 from deep and 11 of 17 from the line, while holding West Alabama (6-21, 5-18 GSC) to just 28 percent shooting.  UWA was 1 of 13 from deep and 16 of 22 from the line, while VSU held a 40-27 lead in rebounding and forced UWA into 17 turnovers, leading to a 25-6 advantage in points off turnovers.  
 
VSU was led by four players in double figures as senior Emma Martin finished 6 of 7 from the field and 4 of 5 from distance.  Senior Aleisha Curry added 14 points off the bench, while junior Kalifa Ford chipped in 13 points and freshman Erin Whalen had a career-high 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds in 16 minutes of action.  UWA was led by a game-high 19 points off the bench from Shayla Golden as she was 5 of 7 from the field and 9 of 10 from the line with seven rebounds. 
 
In a tightly contested first quarter, VSU would lead by four points on a couple of occasions, but the Tigers kept the score close going 7 of 12 from the field as VSU held UWA to just seven made field goals over the final three quarters combined. After seniors Lili Long and Tamiya Francis broke a 14-14 score with a pair of buckets, Golden answered at the buzzer for the Tigers and an 18-16 score.  
 
UWA scored the first bucket of the second quarter, tying the game at 18 off a steal and score from Maryanne Logsdon, but from there, it was all Lady Blazers.  VSU would finish the half with a 29-5 run for a 47-23 lead at the break.  VSU went 10 of 18 from the field in the second quarter and a game-best 4 of 7 from beyond the arc, while going 5 of 5 from the line.  UWA was just 2 of 9 from the field in the second quarter 
 
The second half saw VSU continue its strong play offensively as Whalen earned the old fashion three-point play for a 61-28 lead with 5:15 remaining in the quarter.  Curry scored back-to-back buckets for a 65-30 lead with 3:07 left in the quarter and junior Jacey Justice drained a jumper for a 73-32 advantage to end the quarter.  In the fourth, the lead remained between 40 and 43 points for much of the quarter as junior Tyasia Reed knocked down a triple for a 91-45 lead for the final score of the game.  
 
The victory surpassed the previous mark of 21-straight wins set in the 1983-84 run to the national semifinals.  VSU closes out the regular season Saturday at 2 p.m. for Senior Day against Alabama Huntsville and a chance for the outright GSC regular season title with a victory or a Union loss.  A win Saturday would give VSU its seventh regular season title in program history and the first when the league has not been split into divisions.  VSU last won an East Division title in 2020-21.