VALDOSTA, Ga. – In front of 1,243 fans, the No. 2 ranked and top-seeded Valdosta State women's basketball team won 66-55 over No. 8-seed Miles College in the first round of the NCAA South Regional at The Complex Friday evening.
VSU (30-2) tied the school-record for victories in a season, matching the 1984 squad which went 30-3. The Lady Blazers also extended the nation's longest winning streak to 27 games with the victory Friday. The 1984 team finished in the national semifinals that season for the best finish in program history.
The 2024 South Regional is the first time VSU women's basketball has hosted the regional in program history.
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On Friday, the Lady Blazers were led by a game-high 20 points from D2CCA South Region Player of the Year junior
Kalifa Ford. Ford, who also was named Gulf South Conference Player of the Year, finished 7 of 16 from the field, 4 of 11 from deep and 2 of 2 from the line, while pulling down nine rebounds and added three assists leading four Lady Blazers in double figures. Senior
Taylor Searcey, junior
Victoria Ikenasio and senior
Aleisha Curry each had 11 points.
VSU went 24 of 60 from the field for the game (40%), while it was 8 of 30 from deep and 10 of 12 from the line. VSU held a 38-23 lead in rebounding over Miles. The Lady Blazer "D" clamped down on the Golden Bears in the second half holding MC to just 6 of 25 from the field in the final two quarters after Miles opened 10 of 25 from the field in the first half. The Golden Bears stayed close in the game, going 15 of 28 from the free throw line, including 10 of 15 in the third quarter alone.
Miles (22-7), who won its first Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) championship and playing in its first NCAA postseason, finished 16 of 50 from the field (32%), while the Golden Bears were 8 of 21 from deep and the 15 of 28 from the line. Iemyiah Harris had a team-high 13 points leading three players in double figures on 4 of 18 from the field 3 of 12 from deep and 2 of 3 from the line, while Tederia Ashley finished 11 points and 13 rebounds. Harris entered the game averaging over 17 points per game.
VSU improved to 18-15 all-time in the NCAA postseason and 2-0 all-time against Miles College, while Lady Blazer head coach
Deandra Schirmer improved to 114-30 in her five seasons in Titletown. VSU won to open the 1994-95 season in an 81-63 victory in Birmingham, Ala.
A triple from senior
Emma Martin gave VSU a 9-7 lead with 5:48 left in the opening quarter starting an 11-1 run for a 17-8 lead with 2:09 left in the quarter capped with a triple from Searcey. VSU held a 17-10 lead through the first quarter.
In the second, Miles pulled within 17-15 on a layup off a theft, but Ford answered at the other end with a triple for a 20-15 lead. MC's Madison Lee hit one from deep for a 20-18 score, but Ford buried another triple and senior
Lili Long drained one from deep for a 28-20 lead with 3:52 left in the half. An offensive rebound and put back from junior
Courtney Stothard pushed the lead to 32-22 with 2:13 remaining in the opening half. An "and one" from Curry pushed the lead to 13, but a fast break layup from Ashley and a triple from Feliah Greer pulled the Golden Bears within 35-27 at the break.
VSU pushed the lead back to double-digits early in the second half on a defensive rebound and then score at the other end from Ikenasio for a 39-27 lead with 8:37 left in the quarter.
Miles trimmed the deficit to nine at 39-30 with a pair of freebies from Ashley, but Searcey scored off a turnover starting a 7-0 run as Long drained her second triple for a 46-30 lead with 5:46 left in the quarter. Ford pushed the lead back to 16 with another triple at 51-35 later in the frame. VSU took a 55-42 lead into the final stanza.
Miles cut the deficit back to nine on a triple from Lee with 8:08 to play and a 57-48 score, but Ikenasio came up with a floater in the lane pushing the lead back to 11. Harris, who had not had a great night through the first three quarters, began to catch fire in the final frame as she buried a triple pulling Miles within 62-54 and 2:30 to play.
Ford pushed VSU back over double-digits with two free throws and 33 seconds to play at 64-54, while Searcey made two more charity tosses to end the scoring for the game following a technical foul on the Golden Bears, 66-55.
The Lady Blazers now will face No. 4-seed Nova Southeastern, who defeated No. 5-seed Lee University Friday evening in the fourth game of the day, 71-61. Saturday's regional semifinals get underway at 5 p.m. with No. 3-seed Tampa facing No. 7-seed Eckerd, while No. 4-seed Nova Southeastern and the top-seeded Lady Blazers battle at 7:30 p.m. Monday's regional championship game is set for 7 p.m.
Tickets are on sale by
clicking here for Saturday's semifinal games.
