Lady Lions find their way to 51-49 win

Junior Guard Lauren Faris shoots to win at UNA game vs. Valdosta State.

It wasn’t the prettiest game the lady Lions have ever played, but they did enough to hold on for a 51-49 victory Thursday night.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we found a way,” said head coach Missy Tiber.

The Lions were held to 18 points in the first half, shooting just 24 percent from the field.

The poor first half shooting also saw the Lions go 0-7 from beyond the arc.

“We’ve got to start making shots we should be making,” Tiber said.

Valdosta State University didn’t fair much better in the half, shooting just 30 percent from the field.

Valdosta took a 22-18 advantage into the intermission.

“Our defense was good, but we had too many turnovers,” Tiber said. “Second-chance opportunities are crucial.”

Offensively, UNA played much better in the second half.

The Lions shot 41.7 percent from the field while connecting on five of their nine three-point attempts.

Delisa Madry started to heat, scoring all 12 of her points in the second half.

“I tell Delisa all the time, it’s your job to make shots,” Tiber said.

Lauren Faris led all scorers with 15 points.

Faris played all 40 minutes for the Lions.

With just one minute remaining in the contest, the score was within two points.

Faris put the game away with two free throws with 5.4 seconds left.

Two key contributors, Nichele Filmore and Jennifer Townes, had fouled out of the game.

“I was a little worried about overtime,” Tiber said. “I’m glad we found a way in regulation.”

The Lions host University of West Florida in their next contest. Tip-off is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. in Flowers Hall.