Box Score JACKSON, Tenn. – Valdosta State overcame an 11-point second half deficit to take a late lead over Union on the road in Jackson, Tenn., but an 11-2 run by the Bulldogs in the final two minutes resulted in a tough 74-71 road loss for the Blazers in Gulf South Conference men's basketball action on Monday night at Fred Delay Gymnasium.
 
The Blazers and the Bulldogs traded buckets throughout the first ten minutes of the contest, leading up to a Shaun Jones jumper at the 10:18 mark that gave VSU an 11-9 lead. Union answered promptly with their only three pointer of the first half, a triple by Jordan Montgomery, which put the Bulldogs in front 12-11. The lead was one that held throughout the remainder of the first half and sent VSU to the locker room at intermission facing a narrow 27-25 deficit.
 
Despite a quick basket by Saadiq Muhammad within the first 30 seconds of the second period, Union reclaimed the lead one minute later with a pair of free throws by Marterrace Brock for two of his 27 points in the contest. The Bulldogs outscored the Blazers 15-6 over the course of the ensuing four minutes to take their largest lead of the night at 44-33.
 
A resilient Blazer squad chipped away at the lead, however, using full court pressure to force a host of timely turnovers, one of which led to a Josh Lemons two-handed dunk at the 7:20 mark in the second half to give VSU a 57-56 lead. Valdosta State used the momentum to open up a six-point, 69-63 lead with 3:09 left in regulation, but Union bounced back with the aforementioned 11-2 run as the final three minutes unfolded.
 
An uncharacteristic 5-of-21, 23.8 percent shooting performance led to Valdosta State's demise in the contest, while the Bulldogs hit 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in the second half alone. Chris Longoria led the Blazers on offense for the second straight game with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, while Blake Justice chipped in with 10.
 
With the loss, the Blazers fell to 9-4 overall and 5-3 in GSC play, while Union improved to 11-3 overall and 5-3 in conference action.
 
The Blazers return home this weekend for the first of three consecutive home games, beginning with the West Georgia Wolves at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 9^th at The Complex.