VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's basketball team (7-8, 4-5 Gulf South Conference) continues conference play this week with a pair of home games at The Complex, hosting Montevallo on Thursday night at 6 p.m. before welcoming Auburn-Montgomery at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Blazers enter the week coming off a split effort on the road, falling closely at Union before bouncing back with a decisive win at Christian Brothers. Valdosta State has now won four of its last six games as it pushes through the middle portion of the GSC schedule.
Junior Erin Whalen continues to anchor the Lady Blazers offensively and on the glass, notching two more double-doubles to make that seven in her last eight games. Whalen leads the team in scoring (14.3 PPG), rebounding (9.4 RPG), and steals (2.5 SPG) on the season. Senior Aryana Hicks continues to enable the offense at the point, dishing out a GSC leading 5.1 assists per game along with 12.1 PPG.
Freshman Chardae Rumph has also emerged as a key contributor in conference play after earning GSC Freshman of the Week recognition last week. Rumph has averaged 10.6 PPG over her last five contests. Valdosta State has also seen strong production throughout its rotation, with sophomore Raeanne Eccleston and junior Alina Sapilak providing big minutes and scoring off the bench this weekend.
Montevallo enters Thursday's matchup with a 3-11 overall record and a 2-7 mark in GSC play, riding a five-game losing streak. Emily Mouser and Elyse Hughes combine for a large portion of the Falcon offense, averaging 10.8 and 10.7 points per game respectively. Mouser leads the team in assists while Hughes paces Montevallo on the glass. Valdosta State holds a 15-3 advantage in the all-time series, though the teams split their two meetings last season.
Auburn-Montgomery comes to Valdosta at 2-13 overall and 2-7 in conference play, having dropped its last two contests. Tamora Brown leads the Warhawks with 14.5 points per game and also tops the team in assists and steals, while Samya Brooks follows at 12.6 points per game. Nevaeh Small leads AUM on the boards at 8.3 rebounds per game and also paces the team in blocked shots. Valdosta State owns an 18-1 advantage in the all-time series, with AUM's lone win coming last season in Montgomery.
Thursday's game against Montevallo is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip-off, while Saturday's matchup versus Auburn-Montgomery is set for 2 p.m. Show up and be loud in support of your Lady Blazers this weekend! Fans can follow from home with live streaming options, live stats, post-game coverage, and more on vstateblazers.com.
