VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Lady Blazers (2-3) dropped a heartbreaker at the Complex to the visiting No. 9 Embry-Riddle Eagles (5-0). Each team held 12 different leads throughout the hard-fought battle.

Layups from junior Erin Whalen and sophomore Amaya Broadus pushed VSU out to an early 4-1 lead. Broadus added another layup, then sophomore Alina Martin and senior Aryana Hicks sent down jump shots. Embry-Riddle jumped in front behind free throws from Eliana Sheplee and a layup from Mary Lengemann. Sophomore Raeanne Eccleston got involved with a pair of points at the charity stripe, and Whalen closed the opening period with a triple to give VSU a 15-14 lead after one.

Sophomore Ka'Miah Pryor, Martin, and Whalen kept the offense pumping with early buckets in the second quarter. Hicks added a layup to help the Lady Blazers reclaim a 25-24 advantage. The duo of Sheplee and Lengemann continued to fight for the Eagles, but they trailed for a majority of the second period. Five different Lady Blazers scored the next five field goals (Broadus, Whalen, Hicks, Martin, and freshman Kaci Demps) as the offense continued to roll to a 35-30 halftime lead.

Broadus and Whalen cashed in on two quick buckets out of the intermission to give VSU a 39-30 lead, the largest advantage of the day for either side. Jumpers from Eccleston and Hicks ended a scoring drought of over two minutes to push the lead to 43-36. Whalen drilled a three and Hicks added a pair of free throws, 48-40. Eccleston dropped in three more free throws over the closing stages of the period and VSU led at the end of a third straight period 51-46.

Hicks and Martin started the final period with a pair of jumpers. Sheplee continued driving and making her way to the charity stripe for Embry-Riddle. She would finish the contest 15-17 at the free throw line. Whalen scored four more points and Broadus added two to keep the Blazer offense fighting to a 61-57 advantage, but ERAU stormed back to tie the game at 61 on a driving layup from Sheplee.

The Eagles held the ball with the shot clock off at a 61-61 tie. Eliana Sheplee finished off her 20-point half with an and-one layup with six seconds to play, drilling the free throw to give ERAU a 64-61 advantage. The Eagles then blocked Whalen's potential game-tying triple to secure the road win in heartbreaking fashion. Sheplee dropped 26 points with 11 rebounds for the Eagles, while Lengemann added 15 points on a crisp 53.8% clip.

The Lady Blazers fought valiantly in the loss, leading twelve times throughout the contest and at the end of each of the first three periods. Erin Whalen led the team in points (18), blocks (2), and steals (2). Aryana Hicks' four assists were a team high. Amaya Broadus led the Lady Blazers with ten rebounds and added ten points for a double double.

Looking Forward

The Lady Blazers kick off Gulf South Conference play next week with two home matches at the Complex. First, West Alabama (2-1) visits at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4^th. The team will shift their focus to UAH (4-3) on Saturday, Dec. 6^th at 2 p.m. for another home GSC matchup.

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