VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's basketball team shot 54 percent en route to a 71-50 victory over visiting Mississippi College Saturday afternoon at The Complex. 
 
With the win, VSU improved to 15-9 overall and 10-8 in Gulf South Conference play, while MC fell to 13-12 and 9-10 in league play.  Lady Blazer sophomore Erin Whalen registered a career-high 15 rebounds and 16 points for her eighth double-double of the season on 7 of 12 from the field and 2 of 2 from beyond the arc.  Junior Mary McMorris and freshman Amaya Broadus each had ten points off the bench.
 
MC was led by a game-high 19 points from Amelia Bell on 8 of 9 from the field and 3 of 4 from the line. Tiara Abron added 12 points as VSU avenged a heartbreaking overtime loss to MC earlier this season.  VSU shot 27 of 50 from the field for 54 percent, while it was 7 of 9 from distance and 10 of 14 from the line.  MC finished 19 of 49 from the field for 38.8 percent, while the Lady Blazers held MC to just 1 of 17 from distance and 11 of 20 from the line.  VSU held a 31-18 lead in rebounding in a game where neither team called a timeout.  
 
Lady Blazer senior Jacey Justice buried the first bucket of the game, a triple just 10 seconds into the contest, but MC would score the next eight points for an 8-3 lead with 6:02 left in the first quarter.  Later, senior Jillian Schenk scored on a layup for a 13-12 VSU lead with 1:19 left in the quarter and a 7-0 run.  Senior Kenya Edelhart scored before the buzzer for an 18-16 lead through ten minutes. 
 
VSU continued the run into the second quarter scoring the first nine points of the frame for a 27-16 score with 5:40 to play in the half capped on a bucket from Broadus.  MC's Alexis Rowe ended the 11-0 run with a bucket and Bell scored off a steal and a free throw cutting the deficit to 27-20 with 3:59 remaining in the half.  Edelhart came up big again, this time with a triple pushing the lead back to nine and then Broadus scored in the final second off an offensive rebound from Whalen for a 34-23 lead at the break.  
 
The Lady Blazers kept the pressure on through the first five minutes of the second half as VSU opened the half scoring 14 of the first 18 points for a 48-27 lead with 5:07 to play in the third.  MC would not go away quietly, however, as it cut the deficit to 14 at 48-34 with a 7-0 run, but McMorris ended the run with a bucket in transition off a steal for a 50-34 lead with 1:54 to play in the third.  VSU held a 53-35 lead through 30 minutes.  
 
Abron cut the VSU lead to 14 at 59-45 with 5:49 to play in the game, but a big 3-pointer in the corner from Whalen pushed the lead to 18 with 2:19 to go at 67-49 with VSU finishing the game on a 7-1 run for the 71-50 final.  
 
VSU returns to the road next Thursday and Saturday at Christian Brothers on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET, followed by a Saturday matchup at Union at 3 p.m. ET.  The Lady Blazers then will close out the regular season Feb. 27 and Mar. 1 versus Auburn Montgomery and Montevallo, respectively for Senior Weekend.