VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Union University men’s basketball team suffered a 102-79 road defeat on Thursday night at the hands of the Valdosta State Blazers.
VSU opened the game on a 10-0 run, expanded the lead to 19 points at 33-14, and never looked back. Union clawed its way to an eight-point deficit early in the second half but would never get closer.
The loss drops Union’s record to 7-7 (3-5 GSC), and the Bulldogs, who opened conference play with three consecutive wins, have now lost five straight. VSU, #19 in the land, improves to 12-2 (7-1).
CJ Jackson led Union scorers with 19 points, while Parker Applegate and Isaiah Victor had 16 apiece, a season-high for Victor, who shot 4-6 from three.
Applegate, the reigning GSC Player of the Week, led the contest with 11 rebounds, good for his third double-double of the season and fourth game of 10 or more boards.
After Valdosta took a 14-2 lead to open the game, each team scored 41 before intermission, and the halftime score was 55-43. The Blazers won the final 20 minutes by 11 points, holding the Bulldogs to just 9-32 shooting (.281).
Overall, the Bulldogs shot 25-63 (.397), their second-lowest mark of the season, behind only .390 in a 76-65 loss to Illinois-Springfield. A .238 clip from long distance (5-21) was also Union’s second-worst through 14 games.
VSU’s Braxton Williams led the floor with 25 points in his fifth 20-point night of the season.
Judson Bjornstad scored six points without a field goal attempt. The current GSC Freshman of the Week was perfect from the line and collected six rebounds.
One hundred two points is the most the Bulldogs have allowed in a game that ended in regulation since January 9, 2018, when UAH scored 109. Union is 1-7 this season when opponents reach 74.
Union will remain on the road for a Saturday showdown with West Florida. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
