VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's basketball team returns from a tough road trip to host Auburn Montgomery on Thursday at 6 p.m. and then hosting Montevallo on Saturday at 2 p.m. for Senior Day.
 
The Lady Blazers enter with a 15-11 record overall and a 10-10 record in Gulf South Conference play, following a pair of losses last Saturday at No. 14 Union (90-61) and then on Monday in a 53-48 setback at Christian Brothers.  Against CBU, the Lady Blazers trailed 24-8 through the first ten minutes, but responded and took the lead in the third quarter and held the lead with just over eight minutes to play in the fourth.  Turnovers plagued the Lady Blazers on Monday evening as VSU committed 24 miscues, including eight in the fourth quarter and three in the final minute.  CBU held a 19-13 lead in points off miscues.  
 
Senior Kiersten Nelson was the lone Lady Blazer in double figures with 16 points on 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 4 from the line with seven rebounds at CBU.  Sophomore Erin Whalen had 13 rebounds and six points.  It marked just the seventh time this season VSU has shot under 40 percent for a game at a .373 clip on 19 of 51 from the field, while the 19 made field goals are fourth-fewest this season.  
 
On Saturday prior to the game, VSU will honor seven seniors playing in their final regular season game in a VSU uniform.  The 2025 Senior Class includes; Kenya Edelhart, Victoria Ikenasio, India Jordan, Jacey Justice, Kiersten Nelson, Jillian Schenk and Courtney Stothard.  VSU Athletics would like to wish each of these ladies the best in their future endeavors. 
 
AUM enters with a 12-13 record overall and a 10-10 mark in GSC play as both teams are tied for fifth in the league standings.  Union leads the league with a 19-1 record in league play and a 24-3 mark overall and clinched the top seed.  Alabama Huntsville currently is second at 17-4 in league play, followed by Lee at 16-4 and West Florida is 13-7.  Those four teams all have clinched home games for "Super Tuesday" Quarterfinals of the GSC Championship on Mar. 4.  The winners of the quarterfinal games advance to Birmingham, Ala., for the GSC semifinals/championship, Mar. 8-9, on the campus of Samford University.  The top eight teams in the league standings following Saturday's regular season finales qualify for the postseason tournament.
 
VSU and the Warhawks are tied for fifth as mentioned above, followed by Mississippi College (10-11). Montevallo currently eighth, a half-game ahead of Delta State (9-12).  Trevecca Nazarene (4-16), West Alabama (4-17) and Christian Brothers (1-19) all have been eliminated from postseason contention.  
 
The Warhawks are coming off a 98-94 overtime win on Senior Day versus West Alabama last Saturday. This season, the Warhawks are led by Allasha Dudley who leads the team averaging 18.1 points per game.  She is 135 of 358 (.377) from the field, while she is 51 of 154 from deep ( .331) and 77 of 93 from the line (.828).  Dudley is averaging 2.9 rebounds per game and is second on the team in assists (57) and second in steals (46).  Samya Brooks is second in scoring at 11.5 points per game.  She is 111 of 236 from the field (.470) and 65 of 92 from the line (.707).  Danielle Luckey leads the team in rebounding at 10.0 per game and is third in scoring at 9.5 per contest.
 
As a team, the Warhawks are shooting at a .423 clip on 600 of 1417 from the field, while they are 107 of 376 from distance (.285) and 351 of 510 from the line (.688).  AUM is averaging 66.3 points per game, allowing 69.4 per contest, while averaging 38 rebounds per game and allowing 34.8 rebounds per outing.  Ashlee Phillips is in her second year at AUM and first as head coach.  
 
The Warhawks posted a 67-62 victory over VSU in Montgomery, Ala., on Jan. 18.  In that game, McMorris had a team-high 17 points off the bench, while junior Aryana Hicks chipped in 12.  Dudley had 28 points for the Warhawks, while Brooks added 14 and Carrington Jones chipped in ten. After a slow start in the first quarter where VSU trailed 23-9, the Lady Blazers responded with a 19-8 second quarter and a 21-18 third quarter to tie the game through three frames using a 17-6 run to end the quarter.   AUM scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter as VSU then closed within 58-57 with 3:31 to play and then got within 65-62 with 40 seconds, but was unable to get any closer.  
 
VSU leads the all-time series with AUM 17-1 and 8-0 in Valdosta.  VSU last won 65-43 at The Complex on Jan. 6, 2024, while the teams met in the GSC semifinals last season with VSU winning 79-55 in Birmingham, Ala.  
 
Montevallo enters with an 11-14 record overall and a 9-11 mark in the GSC.  Like AUM, the Falcons also need a pair of wins this weekend to help their chances on earning a berth in the GSC postseason tournament.  UM will play at West Florida on Thursday, before heading over to VSU for Saturday's matchup.  For the season, Aubrey Sorrells leads the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game on 111 of 251 from the field (.442).  She is 13 of 53 from range (.245) and 52 of 70 (.743) from the line.  Sorrells is second the team in rebounding at 5.4 per game and has a team-high 21 blocks.  Lia Edwards is second in scoring at 11.1 points per game and is a team-best 76 of 100 from the line (.760).  Elisa Saffold leads the team from distance on 30 of 97 (.309), while Jordan Gillies leads the team averaging 6.4 rebounds per game and in assists and steals with 69 and 43, respectively.  
 
The Falcons are shooting .393 from the field on 559 of 1424 from the floor, while the team is 153 of 517 from distance (.296) and 322 of 451 from the line (.714).  UM is averaging 63.7 points per game and allowing 67.9 per contest, while averaging 35.1 rebounds per game and surrendering 36.7 per outing.  Head coach Olivia Chapman is in her second season as head coach.  She is 24-28 overall and 20-24 in GSC play.  
 
UM used a 21-15 fourth quarter to tie the game and a 12-7 score in overtime for a heartbreaking 69-64 loss for the Lady Blazers on Jan. 16, in Montevallo, Ala.  Nelson had 22 points and senior Jillian Schenk added 15 points off the bench with four triples and Hicks chipped in 11 points as free throws proved to be a big part of the game with UM going 30 of 43 from the line while VSU was 12 of 22.  VSU held UM to 31 percent from the field and 3 of 16 from distance, but trips to the line by the Falcons proved costly.  The game had five ties and ten lead changes.  VSU pulled within 67-64 with 1:19 to play, but the Lady Blazers missed their final three shots and went 1 of 5 from the field in overtime in the loss.
 
The Lady Blazers have won 14 of the last 17 meetings in the series and are 8-1 at home during that span.  UM last won in Valdosta on Feb. 6, 2021, with a 78-70 victory, marking the last loss to the Falcons prior to earlier this season.  Two of the last four games with UM have gone to overtime as VSU won 71-66 in the extra-period on Feb. 28, 2023, in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.