VALDOSTA, Ga. – The historic 2023-24 Valdosta State women's basketball team ran out of time Saturday evening in a 69-58 loss to No. 4-seed Nova Southeastern at The Complex as the 2023-24 season came to an end.
 
NSU (25-5) used an 18-0 run to end the first quarter into the second and led by as many at 13 points, but the Lady Blazers, fueled by the 1,117 fans, clawed their way back into the contest in the second half and couldn't quite get over the hump as the shots just didn't fall like they normally do.  VSU responded in the final two quarters after a 1 for 14 from the field second quarter, going 9 of 15 from the field in the third and pulled within six through three frames.  In the fourth, VSU would pull within two at 46-44, but NSU had the answer each time the Lady Blazers made a run and got the crowd going. 
 
"I thought we played great for three quarters of the game," VSU head coach Deandra Schirmer said.  "We won the first quarter, we won the third quarter and we would've won the fourth if we didn't have to foul.  That second quarter, the 18-5, was really what we couldn't overcome.  In that moment, it felt like we were getting good shots and we just weren't connecting.  Credit Nova, they were hitting big shots and that's why March Madness is the way it is and when it's a big game, it's whoever can step and knock down some big shots. For whatever reason, the rims weren't kind to us tonight, but definitely proud of the fight in this group and the community and crowd bringing us back into it."
 
The Lady Blazers finished the season with a 30-3 record overall, marking the same record the 1983-84 Lady Blazer basketball team finished.  VSU set a new school-record for consecutive wins at 27 games, marking the third-longest winning streak in GSC history went as program-best 23-1 in Gulf South Conference play with a 23-game league winning streak marking the second-longest league winning streak in GSC history.  The Lady Blazers won both the GSC regular season and conference tournament titles.  Head coach Deandra Schirmer won GSC Coach of the Year honors, while junior Kalifa Ford was named GSC Player of the Year and D2CCA South Region Player of the Year.  Schirmer is 114-31 (.786) in five seasons in Titletown.  
 
Lady Blazer senior Taylor Searcey finished with 15 points, seven assists and three steals, while senior Emma Martin was 5 of 10 from the field, 2 of 7 from distance and 1 of 3 from the line for 13 points.  Junior Victoria Ikenasio added ten points and six rebounds.  VSU shot 18 of 31 from the field in the second half, after opening the game just 6 of 25 from the field for the first half.  For the game, VSU was 24 of 56 (42.9%), while it was 4 of 14 from distance and 6 of 9 from the line.   
 
The Sharks shot 50 percent or better in each of the final three stanzas and shot 52.1 percent for the game on 25 of 48 from the field, while they drained eight triples and were 11 of 16 from the line, including 11 of 14 in the final frame as VSU had to foul down the stretch.  Nicole Scales had 16 points on 6 of 9 from the field, while she was 3 of 6 from deep and 1 of 3 from the line.  Alana Ellis added 16 points off the bench as she was also 6 of 9 from the field and a team-best 4 of 5 from distance.  Morgan Kane added 11 points.  
 
NSU will battle No. 3-seed Tampa in the regional final at The Complex on Monday at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, Mar. 25-29, in St. Joseph, Mo.
 
A triple from Martin and a transition bucket from Ikenasio put VSU up 7-3 with just over five minutes left in the opening frame. Searcey dished to Ford for two and an 11-5 lead and, following a missed shot from NSU, Searcey buried a triple in transition for a 14-5 lead with 3:26 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 run.  Two quick buckets from the Sharks trimmed the lead to 14-9 with 95 seconds left in the opening frame, beginning the 18-0 run. 
 
Scales scored the first two points of the second quarter for pulling NSU within 14-13 and extending the run to 8-0.  Following a miss by the Lady Blazers, the first trey from Ellis gave NSU a 16-14 lead and its first lead since 3-0.  Scales buried her second triple of the game and a 19-14 score with 5:52 to play in the half, pushing the run to 14-0.  Ellis scored inside for a 21-14 score with 4:58 to play in the half and, out of a media timeout, she scored inside for a 23-14 score and an 18-0 run.  Searcey answered with a jumper for the first bucket in ten playing minutes, pulling VSU within 23-16 with 4:12 to play in the half.  Scales drained another triple for a 26-16 score and Ellis drained one from distance, extending the lead to 29-16 with 2:13 to play in the half.  Ford earned two free throws with 3.5 seconds left in the half as she made one of two for a 29-19 deficit at halftime.  
 
For the half, VSU shot just 24 percent on 6 of 25 from the field, while it was 2 of 8 from distance and 5 of 6 from the line.  The Lady Blazers were jut 1 of 14 from the field in the second quarter and 3 of 4 from the line.  Searcey had a team-high seven points.  For the Sharks, they went 12 of 24 from the field, including 7 of 10 in the second quarter, and were 5 of 8 from beyond the arc.  Scales had a game-high 13 points on 5 of 7 from the field and 3 of 5 from distance. 
 
Martin hit the first bucket of the second half, pulling VSU within 29-21 with nine minutes to play in the third as the large crowd began to come to life.  Ikenasio rebounded her own shot under the bucket for two and a 29-23 score.  Martin drained a triple for a 29-26 score and an 8-0 run to start the second half.  Once again, Scales had the answer with the hoop and harm at the other end for the first free throw attempt of the game for the Sharks.  
 
Later, Searcey hit a long jumper for a 31-28 deficit and 5:43 to play in the frame for a 10-2 run to start the second half.  Ellis buried another triple and Kane earned the "and one" for a 36-28 score an 4:34 remaining in the quarter.  Senior Aleisha Curry scored two inside, but Ellis had the answer with another long one at the other end, 39-32.  Martin pulled VSU back within three at 39-36 with a driving layup and 1:35 left in the quarter.  With the quarter ending, Zenyo Seren hit a triple at the buzzer for a 44-38 NSU lead through three frames.  It was the eighth 3-pointer of the game for the Sharks.
 
Ikenasio pulled VSU within four at 46-42 with 8:22 left in regulation.  Ikenasio, once again, grabbed her own rebound and score for a 46-44 deficit which ended being as close as VSU would get.  Two free throws from Aubrey Stupp pushed the lead back to four at 48-44 with just over seven minutes remaining.  NSU stretched the lead to ten at 55-45 with a score inside from Kane with 4:11 to play in the contest.  
 
Senior Tamiya Francis scored on a driving layup with 1:31 to play pulling VSU within 59-51.  Francis pulled VSU within eight with 1:04 to play.  Scales made one free throw with 55.4 seconds left for a 62-53 score and a timeout by VSU.  One free throw by NSU pushed the lead back to 10 at 63-53 with less than 50 seconds to play.  NSU salted the game away at the free throw line for the 69-58 victory. 
 
Despite the loss, the Lady Blazers put together one of the greatest seasons in program history and the six seniors; Searcey, Martin, Lili Long, Curry, India Jordan and Francis, all finished outstanding careers for the Lady Blazers. With nine seconds left the team had a chance be honored with the crowd for the outstanding season. 
 
"We were able to have a moment with nine seconds left the crowd gave us a standing ovation and we were able to honor our group the way they deserved to be honored and I feel like we were able to kind of go out on top," Schirmer said.