VALDOSTA, Ga. - An incredible South Region Tournament run came to a heartbreaking conclusion on Monday night in Jackson, Tenn., as the No. 7 ranked Lady Blazers fell 74-73 to the No. 1 Union Bulldogs in the South Region Championship.

"To lose by one with a chance to win it, I couldn't be more proud of my team," said Head Coach Carley Kuhns after the game. "I thought we fought hard in an awesome environment and battled through a ton of adversity throughout the entire game with foul trouble and some shots not falling."

Facing one of the top teams in the country, the Lady Blazers showed no fear in a hostile environment and went right after the Bulldogs. Led by senior Taylor Buie's four three pointers, VSU poured in seven triples on 11 attempts (63.6 percent) in the first half alone. The shooting effort, along with 18 rebounds against Union's eight, allowed the Lady Blazers to open up a 38-32 lead at the half.

Valdosta State battled in the third quarter, but cooled off slightly from the field. Union senior Sara Lytle capitalized on the opportunity and racked up 10 points in the paint to help the Bulldogs outscore the Lady Blazers 20-14 in the period. The frame concluded with a last second three point play by junior guard Jada Perkins, which helped pull Union even at 52-52.

In the fourth, Union struck quickly with a Chelsey Shumpert layup in the first 13 seconds, but Buie fired back with another three on the very next possession. Freshman Kayla Bonilla put VSU on top by four just one minute later with a three-point play, and Madi Mitchell added a free throw shortly after to open up a 59-54 lead for Valdosta State.

With 6:48 remaining in regulation, Mitchell stepped up to take a hit on Kyvin Goodin-Rogers as she attacked the rim, but a questionable call resulted in Mitchell's fourth foul and sent the All-American to the bench. Goodin-Rogers used the free throws to narrow VSU's lead to 59-56 and spark a 10-0 run for the Bulldogs during a two minute stretch.

Trailing 64-59, the Lady Blazers fired back with a three-point play by Buie, and after a layup by Bria Gaines, Jazmyn McIntosh used an offensive rebound and a putback to pull VSU to within two at 64-62. After a defensive stop, Maddy Corazza came up with a clutch three to give VSU a 67-66 lead at the 3:21 mark, but a well-contested three point shot by Shumpert just 20 seconds later put Union back on top by two.

Heading into the final three minutes, Tiffany Rechis rushed Corazza from her blind side during a VSU possession, and the contact resulted in a foul that would have sent Corazza to the free throw line. After a brief discussion, however, the officiating crew elected to change the call to a jump ball, which ultimately resulted in no points for VSU on the possession.

Union took advantage of the opportunity and opened up a three point lead with a Lytle free throw at the 1:36 mark, before Buie answered with a pair of free throws to narrow Valdosta State's deficit to 70-69. Perkins connected on a layup during Union's ensuing possession, but VSU senior Kenya Samone' Dixon kept it tight with a pair of free throws just 16 seconds later to make it 72-71 in favor of UU.

With less than one minute left on the clock, Valdosta State got the defensive stop they needed on Union's next possession, and Bonilla hit an incredible runner in the lane to put the Lady Blazers on top 73-72 with 13 seconds left to play. Shumpert responded by drawing a foul and hitting two free throws with five seconds left, and VSU was unable to connect on their final shot.

The Valdosta State seniors led the Lady Blazers' sensational effort with 53 of the red and black's 73 point total. Buie finished with 24, while Mitchell secured another double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Samone' Dixon added 10. Both Buie and Mitchell were named to the All-Tournament Team during the postgame ceremony.

"We had an incredible run, so it hurts to lose such a close game, but I'm just really proud of this team, and especially these seniors," added Kuhns. "This was year two of my head coaching career, and the three of them stepped in from day one of this season, bought in, and laid the foundation for what the expectation is now going to be for this program. I'm thankful for each and every one of them."

The loss ended Valdosta State's season at 23-9, while the Bulldogs improved to 31-3 and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in their program's history.