VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's basketball team (13-11, 10-8 Gulf South Conference) returns home to the Complex this week for a pair of conference matchups beginning Thursday at 6 p.m. against Christian Brothers (3-21, 0-18 GSC) in a Pink Out. The team will close the weekend Saturday at 2 p.m. against Union (17-9, 12-6 GSC) on Senior Day.
The Lady Blazers continue to be led in most categories by junior Erin Whalen, who paces the team in scoring (14.0 PPG), rebounding (8.9 RPG), and steals (2.4 SPG). Senior Aryana Hicks remains the facilitator of the offense and leads the Gulf South Conference in assists at 4.9 per game while averaging double-figure scoring with 11.3 points per contest. Hicks, the lone senior on this year's roster, will be honored during Saturday's Senior Day contest.
Valdosta State has seen strong development from its freshmen in recent weeks, highlighted by Rebecca Souverain and Chardae Rumph, who have each earned Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Week honors over the past month. The duo has seen opportunities to start after beginning the year off of the bench. Expect both to continue to play key roles as the Lady Blazers push through the final stretch of conference play.
Christian Brothers enters Thursday's contest led by Donee' Frazier, who averages 17.3 points per game to pace the Lady Buccaneers. Alice Conrad provides a strong presence in the paint, ranking second on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game while leading the team in rebounding (6.7 RPG) and total blocks (54).
Valdosta State holds a 17-7 all-time advantage in its series with Christian Brothers dating back to 2010. The Lady Blazers already earned a win over CBU earlier this season in Memphis.
Saturday's matchup against Union will feature two teams battling for positioning in the GSC tournament. Olivia Lee leads the Bulldogs with 15.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while Courtney Zensen adds 12.1 points per contest. Morgan Escobedo directs the offense and leads Union with 4.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
Union has won three straight meetings in the all-time series, including a matchup earlier this season in Jackson, Tenn. Valdosta State still holds a 19-7 advantage in the all-time series.
Show out and be loud in support of the Lady Blazers this weekend as they make a final push into the postseason! Tickets can be purchased here.
Find live stats, written coverage, streaming links, and more on vstateblazers.com and follow @VState_Blazers as well as @VSULadyBlazers to stay up to date with the team as they fight through the home stretch of GSC play.
