VALDOSTA — The Valdosta State Lady Blazers continued to prove themselves to the entire country Saturday. Ranked eighth in the country, The Lady Blazers dismantled the third-ranked team, Union University’s Bulldogs, 74-56.
The Lady Blazers defeated the Lady Bulldogs not long ago, on December 17th. Valdosta State would take the game 83-68. Since then, Union University has climbed back to a 12-game win streak and is back for a worthy rematch. The Lady Blazers, ready to make their streak 18 in a row, put on a show for the packed crowd.
In a game of highlights, Lady Blazers’ Kalifa Ford stood above the rest, scoring 30 out of Valdosta State’s 74 points. Ford stayed consistent with her performance last week against West Georgia, where she dropped 31 points.
The game stayed close in the first quarter, with neither team able to get a sizable lead over the other. The Lady Bulldogs, who lead the country in points, started the game with a three-pointer from Shanique Lucas.; however, Ford began her domination of the paint—the first quarter ended 19-18 for the Lady Blazers.
The second quarter saw Valdosta State begin setting the game’s pace, only allowing the visitors six points. A layup from Ford and a jumper from Emma Martin allowed the Lady Blazers some breathing room. The duo continued to show out with more inside plays from Ford and a crazy 3-pointer from Martin.
Valdosta State’s defense made the Lady Bulldogs struggle, while the offense would rack up 11 second-quarter points. The first half ended 30-24 with Union University trailing.
The Lady Blazers continued their strong performance into the second half, while the Lady Bulldogs failed to close the point gap. Valdosta State’s Taylor Searcey opened the quarter with a jumper, followed by a 3-pointer from her teammate Tamiya Francis.
Union Univeristy’s Leah Cauble attempted to get the Lady Bulldogs back in the game with back-to-back inside plays. However, 3-pointers from Martin and Lady Blazers’ Erin Whalen put the home team further out of reach.
In the final quarter, the Lady Blazers closed out the game with more consistent scoring from the home side. Another 3-pointer from Martin put the Lady Blazers 10 points over Union University. Valdosta State would then completely take over the game, taking down the No. 3 team 74-56.
Looking unstoppable, the Lady Blazers will travel to Pensacola, Florida, Saturday to challenge West Florida to advance their streak to 19 in a row.