Valdosta State’s women’s basketball team battled back from a 17-point halftime deficit, but Saint Leo made a couple more shots at the end of the game, and beat the Lady Blazers 63-57 on Thursday at The Complex.

The loss dropped the Lady Blazers to 5-6 this season.

Thursday’s game could be divided into three parts. Saint Leo dominated the first half, and built a 17-point lead. VSU dominated the first seven minutes of the second half, and made that 17-point lead disappear. But after that, the Lions were just a little bit better, and earned the win.

“They made a couple more shots than we did,” Valdosta State head coach Kiley Hill said.

In the first 20 minutes, Saint Leo controlled the game. The Lions were 6-of-10 from three-point range, while the Lady Blazers were just 1-for-6. Saint Leo made all four of its free throw attempts, while VSU went an abysmal 2-for-10.

Saint Leo took a 5-3 lead 1:50 into the game, and held the lead the rest of the half. The Lions used a 17-6 run to open up a 13-point lead, 26-13, then increased that lead to 17 points on Brittany Carannante’s layup with four seconds left in the half.

Whatever Hill said to the Lady Blazers in the locker room at halftime, it worked. Because the Lady Blazers came out on fire in the second half.

“We had to go make some adjustments, and check our heart a little bit,” Hill said. “We showed much more heart, a lot of (the) fight factor our program’s known for. I was very disappointed in (our first half) effort. In the second half, we did a much better job of that.”

Fifteen seconds into the second half, VSU’s Courtney Mitchell made a pair of free throws. Amanda Haven made a layup and Brittany Ferguson hit a jumper. A shot by Saint Leo’s Lauren Lee rimmed out, then at the other end, Mitchell was fouled and made both shots. After Saint Leo’s Jamarra Robinson missed a layup, Ferguson drained a three-pointer to make it 38-34 and force Saint Leo to call a timeout.

After a Saint Leo free throw, Sczeny Hartry made two free throws. After a basket by Saint Leo, Hartry buried a three-pointer. Then Dominique Smith’s putback tied the score at 41-41 with 14:19 left in the game. It had taken the Lady Blazers less than six minutes to erase Saint Leo’s 17-point halftime lead.

The Lady Blazers got the ball back, and Mitchell scored to give VSU the lead, 43-41.

Saint Leo regrouped, through, and quickly regained the lead. Lee tied the score with a layup, and Robinson’s free throw gave the Lions the lead, 44-43. Saint Leo increased its lead to five. But then three straight Lady Blazer baskets, two by Ferguson, gave VSU the lead at 49-48 with 8:16 left.

Carannante had been held scoreless in the second half up to that point, after scoring 13 points in the first half. But then she drained three-pointers on two consecutive possessions, and gave the Lions a lead they would not relinquish.

Carannante’s two three-pointers made it 54-49, and another three-pointer, this one from Lee, extended the Lions’ lead to 57-51. Two free throws by Hartry and a layup by Daniels made it 57-55 with 3:09 left.

But that was the last field goal that VSU would make.

“We had some wide open looks (late), and just didn’t knock them down,” Hill said.

Saint Leo made three free throws in the final minute to help put the game away.

Ferguson led the Lady Blazers with 16 points. Hartry scored 11 points and was 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Mitchell added 10 points.

Carannante scored 21 to lead Saint Leo, while Lee finished with 18 points and eight rebounds.

Valdosta State will travel to Orlando, Fla. on Sunday to face Division I opponent Central Florida. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.