VALDOSTA, Georgia – Lee women's basketball team is finding the Complex at Valdosta State a very difficult place to play. Last Dec. 17^th, the Lady Flames lost a rugged battle to the host Lady Blazers, one of their only three regular season losses. On Saturday afternoon Valdosta battled back from a 12-point deficit at the beginning of the fourth period to force an overtime to win 80-76. 

It was the first loss of the early season for the 2-1 Lady Flames. Valdosta improved to 3-0. Both teams will break for the holidays and Lee will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 2 when they travel to the University of Montevallo.  

The Lady Flames grabbed a missed shot by the host club and had a chance to win in regulation. Coach Marty Rowe ordered his club to count down the clock and go for the final shot but a turnover forced overtime with the contest tied at 70. 

"It was a great effort by our team's part today and we had a chance to win several times. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. Valdosta is one of the most difficult places to win in our league but we have a lot of positives we can take away. However, no moral victory for us. We've got to learn and I've got to put us in some better situations late in games," commented Coach Rowe. 

Kayla Bonilla has been a thorn in the side of the Lady Flames for the past three years and she was the same again on Saturday, scoring a game-high 30 points. However, it was Kwajelin Farrar who tallied the final four points in OT to secure the Lady Blazer victory. Farrar scored 15 of her 20 points in the opening half. She finished with a double-double capturing 11 rebounds. 

Junior Haley Schubert again led the Lee scoring, finishing with 23 points, five rebounds and six assists. The balanced Lady Flames' book saw transfer Hannah Garrett knock down 4-of-5 triples and claim eight boards. Maddie Long and Halle Hughes each totaled 11 points while Long claimed six rebounds and dished off six assists. Cam Grant was perfect from the field (4-of-4, 10 points) and ripped down six rebounds before leaving the game with five fouls. 

Lee led the majority of the game, 20-15 after one period and was on top 36-33 at the break. The Lady Flames opened the second half quickly and gained a 12-point lead, ending the third frame leading 56-47. Valdosta regrouped and outscored Lee 23-14 in the final frame to force the OT. In overtime, the Lady Blazers tallied 10 points to Lee's six.  

The Lady Flames shot 48% from the floor (28-of-59). They also made a solid 46% from beyond the arc (11-of-24). They were awarded only 13 charity tosses and canned nine. Twenty-four turnovers didn't help the cause but they battled almost evenly with the Lady Blazers on the boards, 37-36.  

Bonilla and Farrar were the only Valdosta players in double-figure scoring. Alexandria Smith pitched in with nine while Jirah Ares had eight points and eight rebounds. The Lady Blazers shot 47% from the field (29-of-65) but nailed only 29% from long range (7-of-24). They helped make up the difference by being awarded 20 free throws and sinking 15.