VALDOSTA, Ga. - West Alabama started quickly out of the gates, fell behind, and mounted a second half comeback, coming up just short of Valdosta State 85-80 in Gulf South Conference women's basketball action at The Complex on Saturday.

The Blazers snap a two-game skid with the win, improving to 9-6 on the season and moving to 6-3 in the GSC. The Tigers fall to 4-12, dropping to 1-8 in league play.

"I thought we played well in the first quarter, and put together a good comeback in the second half," UWA head coach Rusty Cram said. "If we continue to play like this down the stretch, we should see more success."

"Kierra and Sydney came in and gave us 22 points off the bench, but we were outscored 27-7 at the free throw line and gave them 16 points off of our turnovers," Cram said. 

The Tigers opened with a 7-0 scoring run, forcing a Blazer timeout with 7:12 in the first quarter. VSU answered with four three-point baskets from Kenya Samone-Dixon, erasing UWA's early advantage and taking a 21-19 lead by the end of the period.

The three-point battle continued early in the second period as Catherine Taylor and Ariel Wilson combined for 4-of-4, while Dixon and Aaliyah Cheatham converted on 7-of-10 by the midway point. 

However, the Tigers shot only 36 percent from inside the arc while the Blazers hit 46 percent, allowing VSU to grab a 38-29 lead at the break.

Despite five third quarter turnovers, West Alabama cut a 12-point deficit down to four with just over two minutes to play in the period. 

Facing a 59-55 deficit to start the final quarter, Sydney King drained a three-point basket to pull the Tigers within one. Kierra Groce tacked on seven fourth quarter points, while Jenna Bradberry added a trey. Samone-Dixon, however, continued to light it up from beyond the arc, keeping the Tigers in check.

A layup from King knotted the game up at 74-apiece before an old-fashioned three-point play from VSU's Madi Mitchell put the Blazers back in front by three.

A charging call on Chloe Culpepper with 30.5 seconds on the scoreboard denied the Tigers a possible tying basket, and put possession back in the Blazers' hands.

UWA was forced to foul as the clock wound down, but VSU didn't falter at the line, securing an 85-80 conference victory.

Wilson led the Tigers' offense with 24 points, hitting 10-of-19 from the field and 2-of-4 for three points. Taylor set a season-high 19 points, connecting on 64 percent of her shots from the floor and 75 percent of those from beyond the arc. Groce and King combined for 21 second-half points, King with 11 and Groce with nine.

Samone-Dixon led the field with 31 points, including eight baskets from long-range. Mitchell recorded 18 points with 6-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line. Chatham rounded out the Blazers double-digit scorers with 17 points, netting 30 percent from the floor and 90 percent from the line.

The Tigers will return to Pruitt Hall for a GSC contest against Christian Brothers on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.