JACKSON, Tenn. – With a great run in the NCAA Tournament so far, the No. 7-seed Valdosta State women's basketball team battles top-seeded Union Monday evening at 8 p.m. ET for a berth in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. 
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming and more at vstateblazers.com on the women's basketball schedule page.  The game also will be broadcast on 92.1 WDDQ FM in Valdosta with Mike Chason having the call.  Click here for the NCAA South Region Tournament Central Page. 
 
The Lady Blazers, who have been the darlings of the regional have upset No. 2-seed Tampa (59-50) and No. 3-seed Lee (70-44) so far in the tournament.  VSU is one of three No. 7-seeds still alive in the tournament, along with a No. 6-seed and a No. 8-seed, comprise five of the 16 remaining teams from across the country. 
 
Following the disappointing 74-61 loss to Lee last week in the Gulf South Conference semifinal, the Lady Blazers have been on a tear on both ends of the court as they held high-octane Tampa to just 50 points and held the Spartans to just 36 percent shooting as they entered shooting a 46 percent clip for the season.  VSU used a 14-6 second quarter to set the tone and was led by first team all-region graduate student Kwajelin Farrar with 15 points and eight rebounds on 7 of 11 from the field.  Graduate student Delaney Bernard added 12 points – all from deep, while sophomore Tamiya Francis chipped in 11 points in the victory. 
 
The next night, VSU put together arguably one of its best performances of the season with a 70-44 victory over rival Lee, who defeated VSU exactly one week earlier.  The Lady Blazers were outstanding on both ends of the court, as they held Lee to 16 points in the first half and just 30.6 percent from the field on 15 of 49 from the field in the regional.  VSU forced 16 turnovers and a 19-8 advantage in points off turnovers for the game, capitalizing on the Lady Flames' miscues.  Farrar paced the team with 20 points on 8 of 10 from the field and 4 of 6 from the line, while recording six rebounds.  Graduate student Nicole Heyn added 16 points and was a season-high 9 of 10 from the line, while freshman Taylor Searcey added 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.  In the 38-16 first half, VSU shot a blistering 16 of 31 from the field, while it salted the game away, going 18 of 22 from the line in the second half after making just four trips to the stripe in the first half, going 3 of 4. 
 
This is a rematch of the 2018 South Regional as VSU, also was a No. 7-seed that season, defeated a Sunshine State Conference school (Florida Southern) in the first round and defeated Lee in the semifinals (63-57), before falling in heartbreaking fashion to Union, 74-73.  VSU battled back and held a 73-72 lead with 13 seconds remaining, but Union was fouled and made two tosses with five seconds left as VSU was unable to connect on a final shot.
 
For this tournament, Farrar is 15 of 21 from the field for a .714 clip, while she has 14 rebounds for a 7.0 average in the two games and is averaging 17.5 points per game.  Searcey has nine assists, while Heyn is 11 of 12 from the stripe for a .917 average and has five thefts.  Graduate student Delaney Bernard is 5 of 13 from deep to lead the team. 
 
Defensively, VSU has held the opposition to just 47 points per game and a .337 average from the field on 35 of 104 from the floor.  The opposition is just 8 of 31 from deep for a .258 clip.  Conversely, the offense is 45 of 104 from the field (.433) and 13 of 38 from beyond the arc (.342).  VSU is averaging 38 rebounds per game and dominating on the glass to the tune of an +18.5 rebounding margin. 
 
The Lady Blazers are 16-13 all-time in the NCAA postseason and this marks the seventh trip to the regional final and fifth in the current Sweet Sixteen format (1995, 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022).  VSU reached the national quarterfinals in 1983 and the national semifinals in 1984.
 
For the season, VSU is 25-5 on the year and went a school-best 17-2 in GSC play during the season under third-year head coach Deandra Schirmer who is 61-20 during her time in Titletown.  She is 3-1 all-time in the NCAA postseason as the team went 1-1 last year with a win over Lee and a heartbreaking loss to eventual regional champion Lander. 
 
Union, who is the top-ranked team nationally entering the NCAA postseason, is 28-2 and went a perfect 18-0 in GSC play this season, including a 59-56, come-from-behind victory over VSU on Jan. 22, 2022, in Jackson, Tenn.  In that game, VSU used a 21-9 second quarter for a 35-21 lead at halftime and led by as many as 16 points in the second quarter.  The Bulldogs roared back in the second half, outscoring VSU 17-6 in the third quarter and 20-15 in the fourth.  VSU held a 56-55 lead with 45 second left, but Ashtyn Baker scored inside with 25 seconds left and two missed free throws by VSU proved costly.  Union made two free throws with six seconds remaining for the three-point victory.
 
Farrar had 19 points on 9 of 17 from the field and 1 of 4 from the line, along with five rebounds in the previous meeting with the Bulldogs, leading three players in double figures.  Heyn added 11 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Tamiya Francis also had 11 points.  VSU shot 48 percent for the game on 24 of 50, while it was 5 of 11 from beyond the arc and just 3 of 8 from the line.  Jaelencia Williams had 18 points for Union as the Bulldogs shot 41.7 percent for the game, while they went 9 of 20 from deep and 10 of 12 from the line.  The game saw three ties and 11 lead changes.
 
This season Union has the GSC Player of the Year in Williams and head coach Mark Campbell earned GSC Coach of the Year honors.  Williams also was named D2CCA South Region Player of the Year this season.  For the championship, Williams is averaging 16.5 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per contest. She is 13 of 17 from the field (.765) to lead all athletes in the regional field.  Teammate Emily Beard is 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, while Baker has five thefts to lead the team and five triples.  Campbell is 686-107 in 23 seasons at Union. 
 
Along with Farrar and Williams, Heyn earned first team all-conference honors and Baker earned second team accolades.  Only Farrar and Williams earned all-region accolades.  Union is averaging 80 points per game in its two postseason games thus far and used a 26-1 third quarter to blow the game wide open in the semifinals against No. 5-seed Eckerd en route to a 73-48 victory.  Union opened with an 87-56 victory over No. 8-seed Savannah State.  Union is shooting at .514 clip on 55 of 107 from the field, while it is 18 of 40 from deep (.450) and 32 of 43 from the line (.744). The Bulldogs are averaging 34 rebounds per game and allowing 29.5 rebounds per contest in the postseason.
 
Union leads the all-time series 14-3 and is 9-1 at home against the Lady Blazers.  VSU's last win the series came in the semifinals of the GSC Championship with a 68-62 victory on Mar. 9, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala.  Union has won six of the last seven meetings overall, while VSU's lone win in Jackson came on Dec. 17, 2016, with a 61-57 victory. 
 
The winner of Monday night's game advances to the Elite Eight, scheduled for Mar. 22-25 in Birmingham, Ala., at the Birmingham Crossplex.