JACKSON, Tenn. – The No. 22 Valdosta State women’s basketball team dropped a 74-54 decision at No. 20 Union Saturday afternoon.

Lady Blazer sophomore Taylor Searcey tied her season-high with 24 points earning Guardian Bank Lady Blazer Player of the Game honors.

Searcey went 10 of 16 from the field, 1 of 3 from beyond the arc and 3 of 7 from the line along with a team-high nine rebounds, while senior Jirah Ards tallied 14 points on 3 of 10 from the field with one triple and 7 of 8 from the line.

VSU (17-4, 16-3 GSC) struggled shooting, going 18 of 50 from the field for 36 percent, while it was 4 of 17 from beyond the arc and 14 of 23 from the stripe.

Union (17-3, 15-3 GSC) was led by 16 points from Samariah Thompson, while Shanique Lucas added 15 points and Lauren West chipped in 13 points off the bench. Union shot 46.9 percent from the field on 23 of 49 from the field, while it was 8 of 20 from distance and 20 of 23 from the line.

The Lady Bulldogs raced out to a 15-3 lead through the first four minutes and change of the game setting the tone early. West capped the run with a triple with 5:42 to play in the first quarter. Ards and junior Lili Long pulled VSU within 18-7 with 3:36 left in the quarter, but the Lady Blazers went scoreless for the rest of the frame as Union built its lead to 23-7 through the first quarter.

A layup from junior Emma Martin with 8:03 left in the half sparked a 12-4 run for the Lady Blazers as they pulled within 27-20 on bucket from Ards with 5:15 remaining in the half. Union’s Leah Church drained one from deep to push the lead to double-digits, once again, but Searcey used a steal and layup for a score for a 30-22 deficit with 3:25 left. Union closed the half on a 9-0 run for a 39-22 lead at the break. The Lady Blazers shot just 8 of 24 from the field for the first half, while Union was 12 of 26 from the field.

Union opened the second half scoring nine of the first 11 points for a 48-24 lead with 7:10 left in the frame. VSU would pull within 21 points later in the quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs stretched the lead back to 24 for a 56-32 margin through three quarters. The offense began to find its rhythm in the fourth quarter as the Lady Blazers went 8 of 17 from the field for the final frame and scored 22 points for the quarter, but were unable to overcome the early deficit, falling 74-54.

The Lady Blazers return to action on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. at The Complex versus West Florida.