CLEVLAND, Tenn. – A 19-8 fourth quarter by Lee University handed Valdosta State a 59-44 loss Thursday evening in Gulf South Conference play.  The Lady Blazers fell to 12-9 overall and 7-8 in league play, while Lee improved to 18-4 and 12-4 in conference play.
 
The Lady Blazers had a tough night shooting, going just 13 of 45 for a season-low 28.9 percent, while the team was 4 of 17 from distance and 14 of 20 from the line.  Senior Kiersten Nelson tallied 13 points on 5 of 12 from the field with four rebounds, and three free.  Junior Mary McMorris added 11 points off the bench on 4 of 10 from the field with one triple and 2 of 2 from the line, along with five rebounds. 
 
Lee was led by 22 points from Haylee Johnson on 6 of 13 from the field and 10 of 14 from the line with eight assists as the only Lady Flame player in double figures.  Lee, who also struggled shooting in the first half, heated up in the final two quarter going 12 of 22 from the field in the final two quarters and 12 of 14 from the line after opening 8 of 21 from the field in the first half and 3 of 9 from the stripe.  For the game, Lee shot 20 of 43 from the field for 46.5 percent, while it was 4 of 15 from distance and 15 of 23 from the line.  The game saw three ties and five lead changes. 
 
Tough defense by both teams early made the offenses struggle in a very low scoring first quarter and opening half.  The teams combined for just 14 made field goals in the first half.  The Lady Flames used a triple from Kara Williams for a 10-5 lead with 2:44 remaining in the first quarter.  Lady Blazer sophomore Erin Whalen scored inside for her only points of the game and Nelson scored with four seconds remaining for a 10-9 deficit through ten minutes.
 
Lee stretched the lead to six at 15-9 with 7:14 remaining in the half on one of two free throws from Johnson, but the Lady Blazers kept fighting and took an 18-17 lead with a bucket from McMorris with 52 seconds remaining in the half.  Lee's Abby McFarland scored with 36 seconds remaining for the first bucket for the Lady Flames in over seven minutes.  McMorris added two charity tosses with 16 seconds left, but Lee's Bailey Burgess drained a triple with seven seconds remaining for a 22-20 Lee lead at the break.
 
The teams traded buckets early in the second half as VSU pulled back within one at 28-27 with seven minutes left in the third on a triple from junior Aryana Hicks.  Lee would then go on a 9-2 run for a 37-29 lead with 4:07 left in the quarter, before senior India Jordan and McMorris each hit triples pulling VSU within 37-35 with 1:54 to play.  Lee answered with a pair of buckets and Nelson finished the frame with a free throw for a 40-36 deficit.
 
Early in the fourth, Lee used a 7-0 run for a 50-39 lead with 5:52 to play on a fastbreak layup from Williams.  VSU kept fighting and trimmed the deficit back to seven on a steal and layup from McMorris for a 50-43 deficit with 4:10 to go, but Lee answered, once again, pushing the lead back to double digits and closed the game on a 9-1 run for the 59-44 final.
 
VSU returns to action on Saturday as it travels to Nashville, Tenn., to face Trevecca Nazarene for the first time at TNU in program history at 3 p.m. ET.  VSU defeated TNU in Valdosta in December in the first meeting on the court in program history.
 
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