VALDOSTA —
The women’s basketball teams from Valdosta State and Eckerd battled for 40 minutes of regulation and two overtimes Friday night at The Complex, before the Lady Blazers came away with a 67-63 victory.
It was the Lady Blazers’ second consecutive overtime victory. They beat Fort Valley State 56-51 in overtime on Dec. 4.
The win improved Valdosta State’s record to 6-2.
With 2:17 left in the second overtime and the score tied 57-57, VSU’s Kamiya Smith stole the ball and sprinted down the court for a layup to give the Lady Blazers the lead. Eckerd missed a layup and Smith grabbed the rebound. At the other end of the court, Williams made a layup, giving VSU a 61-57 lead with 1:32 left.
A free throw by Smith with 43 seconds left gave the Lady Blazers a five-point lead, 62-57. Eckerd’s Taylor Bestry made two free throws to make it 62-59, and the Lady Tritons went to a full court press to try to force a turnover. But VSU freshman Jasmine Mapp, a Quitman native who was making her debut for the Lady Blazers, slipped unnoticed to the other end of the floor, and Brittney Nelson threw a long pass to her for an easy layup, making it a five-point game once again with 34 seconds left.
Bestry made a layup, but Smith answered with two free throws, giving the Lady Blazers a 66-61 lead with 23 seconds left. Eckerd missed its next two shots, then Rana Thomas was fouled and made two free throws, cutting VSU’s lead back to three, 66-63, with four seconds left. But VSU’s Courtney Sprague put the game away by making the first of two free throws.
Smith and Williams scored 17 points apiece in the victory. Nelson added 13 points, 12 of which came in the first half.
Valdosta State led for most of regulation, including a 26-23 lead at halftime, and held a four-point lead with less than a minute remaining in regulation.
But with 49 seconds left in the second half, Eckerd’s Krystal Charles stole the ball and passed to Kayla Bowlin, whose layup cut VSU’s lead to 51-49. The Lady Blazers brought the ball down the court and tried to kill as much time as possible. But with 15 seconds left and the shot clock nearing zero, Eckerd’s Annie Armstrong stole a pass.
Eckerd head coach Paul Honsinger called a play, and the play opened a hole for Armstrong to drive to the basket. VSU center Ivana Domljanovic ran over to contest the shot, but fouled Armstrong with four seconds left. Armstrong stepped to the line and made both free throws, tying the score at 51-51 and sending the game to overtime.
Eckerd started the first overtime with five quick points. Armstrong gave the Lady Tritons the lead with a layup four seconds into the first extra period, then Bestry got open behind the arc and drained a three-pointer, giving the Lady Tritons a five-point lead, 56-51.
But those were the last points Eckerd would score in the first overtime. VSU got a free throw by Nelson and a layup by Williams to cut its deficit to 56-54. Then with 27.2 seconds left, Sprague tried to drive to the basket. Liga Vente, Eckerd’s 6-foot-3 center, was waiting, and tried to block the shot. But Vente was called for a foul, and Sprague went to the line and made both free throws, tying the score at 56-56. A 30-foot shot by Bowlin as time expired was off the mark, and the game went to a second overtime.
Bestry led Eckerd with 12 points. Vente and Charles scored 10 points each.
Valdosta State will host Saint Leo next Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Blazers Blog
Lady Blazers win in double overtime
- Blazers Blog
-
-
VSU eliminated
Valdosta State softball’s bid for a national title repeat came up short this season.
The Blazers were eliminated from the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament Saturday with a 7-5 loss in nine innings to Armstrong Atlantic University, a school based off the Georgia coast in Savannah. -
Win or go home
The Valdosta State softball team faces Armstrong Atlantic University in an elimination game for the 2013 Division II Softball Championship Tournament today at noon.
-
Blazers fall to Molloy in eight innings
With only one out remaining and trailing by three, the Molloy Lions strung together four hits to plate three runs in the seventh followed by another run in the eighth inning to defeat Valdosta State’s softball team 5-4 in the first round of the 2013 Division II Softball National Championship Tournament on Thursday in Salem, Va.
-
Albritton, Johnson earn All-America honors
Valdosta State softball players Courtney Albritton and Morgan Johnson gathered multiple All-America honors late Wednesday night.
-
Sending the Blazers off
The Valdosta State softball team made the long journey to Salem, Va. Tuesday, leaving Valdosta at 10:30 a.m. with devoted fans cheering them out of the parking lot.
-
VSU softball wins South Region, headed to nationals
For the third time in four years, and second in a row, Valdosta State’s softball team will play in the national championship tournament.
The Blazers won their third South Region championship Saturday, beating Alabama-Huntsville 8-3 in game three of the best-of-three series at Steel’s Diamond at Blazer Park. -
VSU baseball season comes to an end
Delta State scored seven unanswered runs to defeat Valdosta State 7-2 in an elimination game of the NCAA South Region Tournament at the UT Baseball Field Saturday afternoon.
-
Blazers host respected rival UAH in Super Regional
One would expect a matchup featuring two of the top softball programs in Division II to come in the national championship game.
Unfortunately for Valdosta State and Alabama-Huntsville, who have combined to appear in four straight national championship games, they won’t be meeting in title game on Memorial Day in Salem, Va. -
Blazers lose to Delta State, fall to loser’s bracket
If the Valdosta State baseball team is going to win the South Region Tournament, the Blazers going to have to do it from the loser’s bracket.
The Blazers (33-17) dropped their first game of the tournament Thursday, falling to Delta State 4-2 at UT Baseball Stadium.
VSU will face Stillman College, which lost to No. 1 seed and tournament host Tampa Thursday, Friday at 11 a.m. to advance to the weekend portion of the tournament. The loser will be eliminated. -
Former Lady Blazer Ferguson hired to lead Vikettes
The sign above the door still has Shan Garner’s name on it. There is even a Shan Garner plaque sitting on one of the shelves in the corner of the gymnasium office.
That will soon change, though, as Lowndes has hired its newest girls’ basketball coach. - More Blazers Blog Headlines
-
