BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –  A 17-0 run to start the second quarter lifted top-seeded Valdosta State women's basketball team to a 79-55 victory over No. 4-seed Auburn Montgomery in the semifinals of the Gulf South Conference Championship at the Pete Hanna Center Saturday afternoon.  VSU won its national-best 25^th-straight game and advanced to the GSC final for the first time since 2019. 
 
The Lady Blazers (28-2) had five players in double figures led by 16 points from both senior Emma Martin and junior Kalifa Ford.  Martin was deadly from downtown Saturday, going 4 of 7 from distance and 5 of 12 from the field, while Ford was 6 of 12 from the field and 4 of 6 from the line.  Senior Aleisha Curry had a double-double, her first of the season, with 14 points and ten rebounds, going 6 of 7 from the field and 2 of 2 from the line, while senior Tamiya Francis added 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting with two triples and senior Taylor Searcey added 11 points with one triple and 4 of 4 from the line, along with six rebounds, five assists and five steals.  
 
VSU shot 28 of 64 from the field for 43.8 percent, while the team was 8 of 18 from distance and 15 of 20 from the line.  VSU registered 46 rebounds, including 18 offensive rebounds leading, holding AUM to 21 rebounds and just two on the offensive end for the Warhawks and a 14-0 lead in second chance points.  VSU held a 19-8 lead in points off turnovers as the Lady Blazers forced 13 miscues by the Warhawks to 11 for VSU. 
 
The Lady Blazer defense held AUM to just 35 points over the final three quarters and just seven points in the second quarter as the Warhawks shot 38 percent from the field on 19 of 50 from the floor, while going 7 of 24 from distance and 10 of 11 from the line for the game.  Grace O'Gara had a game-high 17 points on 6 of 11 from the field, 4 of 7 from deep and 1 of 1 from the line, while Allasha Dudley had 16 points and Jamya Tyus added 10 points off the bench.
 
"AUM is a really talented team, and we knew that as they came out really hot," VSU head coach Deandra Schirmer said.  "For us as a defensive-led team, to give up 20 points in the first quarter, we knew that wasn't us, and we had to get back to our basics and really focus on our defensive rebounding.  Once we did that, we held them to seven points in the second quarter.  That allowed us to get out into transition and get some stops and our defense really fueled our offense the rest of the way."
 
Schirmer won her 112^th game of her career as she improved to 112-30 over her five seasons at VSU, while the Lady Blazers improved to 26-28 all-time in the GSC postseason tournament in 32 years.  The Lady Blazers improved to 9-10 all-time in the semifinals and will make their ninth appearance in the conference finals on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET versus either No. 2-seed Union or No. 3-seed Lee.
 
"This has been the hump we needed to get over," VSU head coach Deandra Schirmer said speaking of reaching the finals this season.  "Carley Kuhns was a fantastic player at VSU, and she won the title as the head coach before me.  Now she is the coach here at Samford, and we are trying to win this one for her."
 
A 6-0 run by the Lady Blazers gave VSU a 16-10 lead late in the first quarter, but AUM roared back with a triple from Dudley and an "and one from O'Gara for a 17-16 AUM lead with 1:57 left in the first quarter.  A foul on AUM put senior Emma Martin at the line with 33 seconds remaining in the frame making both putting VSU up 18-17.  Dudley buried her second triple from deep as time expired in the quarter for a 20-18 AUM lead.  Both teams opened shooting 50 percent for the frame, while AUM was 2 of 6 from distance and VSU was 0 of 3.  The Warhawks were 4 of 5 from the line, while VSU was 2 of 2. 
 
From there, it was all VSU as the Lady Blazers began the second quarter tying the game at 20 with a bucket from Ford, her eighth point with 8:50 left in the first half starting the 17-0 run.  Back-to-back triples from the league's best sharp-shooter, Martin, pushed the Lady Blazer advantage to 26-20 with 7:32 to play in the half.  She entered the game fourth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at a .453 clip on 63 of 139 from distance.  One of two free throws from Ford pushed the lead to seven at 27-20 with 6:54 remaining in the half. 
 
Curry pushed the run to 9-0 with a bucket inside and a steal from senior Taylor Searcey and score from Ford for a 31-20 with 5:32 left.  Ford had a theft and fouled in transition for O'Grady's third foul of the game and an intentional foul to boot. Ford made both her free throws and a technical foul was called on AUM with Searcey hitting two freebies for a 35-20 lead with 5:07 remaining in the half.  The Lady Blazer "D" held AUM to 0 of 7 from the field to start the quarter, while VSU opened 5 of 7. 
 
AUM (20-10) ended the run 17-0 run with a steal and score from Jamya Tyus and a 35-22 VSU lead.  Curry made two more free throws for a 37-22 advantage with just over four minutes remaining in the half.  O'Gara pulled AUM within 12 at 39-27 with 2:27 left on a triple for her eighth point of the game, but the Lady Blazers had the answer with 1:12 left as Martin buried her third trey for a 43-27 lead and her 13^th point of the game.  VSU took a 43-27 lead into the locker room and outscored AUM 25-7 in the second quarter. 
 
VSU shot 51.7 percent for the half on 15 of 29 form the field, while it was 3 of 7 from deep and 10 of 12 from the line.  After shooting 50 percent in the first quarter, the Warhawks were just 3 of 13 from the field in the second quarter and were 10 of 27 from the field for the half for 37 percent.  AUM was 3 of 12 from distance and 4 of 5 from the line. VSU held a 19-11 lead in rebounding. 
 
Ford scored 14 points for VSU in the half, while Martin added 13 and Curry chipped in ten.  All three combined for 13 of 19 from the field, while Martin was 3 of 5 from deep.  Dudley had 14 points for AUM on 5 of 10 from the field and two triples. 
 
Martin drained her fourth from long distance for a 50-31 lead with 6:48 to play in the third quarter on two big offensive rebounds from the Lady Blazers and a timeout by the Warhawks.  Searcey scored inside pushing the lead back to 19 at 52-33 with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter.  Out of a media timeout, Francis drained one from distance pushing the lead to a game-high 55-33 lead with 4:04 to play in the quarter.  O'Grady answered at the other end with a deep shot, but junior Victoria Ikenasio scored inside for a 57-36 lead with 3:26 remaining in the third.  VSU held a 59-40 lead through three quarters.
 
Senior Lili Long buried her first triple of the game and first field goal for a 62-42 lead with 8:14 to play, but O'Grady answered at the other end with her third triple of the game.  A bucket from Tyus pulled AUM within 64-49 with 6:19 to play and a timeout. Out of the stoppage, Francis drained her second triple pushing the lead to 67-49 with 5:57 left.  A big offensive rebound and put back from Curry made the score 69-49, but O'Gara hit her fourth from distance at the top of the arc for a 69-52 VSU lead.  The long balls kept coming as Searcey got into the act for a 72-52 lead with 4:28 to play.  Following a steal from Searcey, Curry scored her 14^th point for a 74-52 lead matching the largest of the game.  VSU went on for the 79-55 victory.