CARROLLTON, Ga. – The UWG women's basketball team dropped a third-straight decision on Thursday night, falling to the Valdosta State Blazers, 61-54.
 
West Georgia's defense kept them in the game on a night in which the Wolves shot 38.9 percent from the field and 50 percent from the charity stripe, but in the end, the Blazers pulled away late at The Coliseum.
 
It was a tight, defensive first half as neither team led by more than five in the opening half. West Georgia built an early, 9-4 lead as Jada Powell provided six of the first nine points for the Wolves, and by the time the Wolves got their lead 12-7, it was Powell and Gernatt splitting the production evenly.
 
With 2:05 left in the first quarter, Valdosta State got their first lead of the game at 14-12 and then led by one at 17-16 at the start of the second.
 
Both teams shot less that 30 percent from the field in the second quarter and combined for 17 points and 14 turnovers, but the Blazers would extend their lead in the period, and led 27-23 at the halftime break. Powell and Gernatt ended the half with 17 of the Wolves' first half points.
 
West Georgia outscored the Blazers 21-17 in the third quarter and didn't allow the Blazers to score a field goal until the 4:55 mark of the period. Shortly after that, the Wolves got their largest lead of the game, leading 37-30. The Blazers battled right back to tie things up, 44-44 by the end of the third quarter.
 
With the game tied 51-51 after a Sydne Tolbert basket, Valdosta State closed the game on a 7-3 run to earn the 61-54 victory.
 
Powell finished the game with a game-high 16 points and 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Gernatt ended with 15 points while Zuriyah Davis chipped in with seven.
 
The Wolves are back to the road on Sunday, taking on West Florida at 3 p.m. from the UWF Fieldhouse.