VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State women's basketball program bounced back in a big way on Saturday night with an 81-71 non-conference victory over the Fort Valley State Lady Wildcats in front of a big crowd on Saturday night at The Complex.

Valdosta State jumped out in front right away with a layup by Imari Simpson in the first two minutes that gave the Lady Blazers an early 2-0 lead. It was a lead that Valdosta State would enjoy for the remainder of the contest. VSU senior April Thomas added a layup of her own less than one minute later, and FVSU's Davina High followed with a jumper to cut the deficit to 4-2, but Thomas scored again at the 17:46 mark before Aaliyah Johnson opened up a six point lead with another bucket.

Head Coach Kiley Hill enjoyed an impressive outpouring of offensive production, as three different Lady Blazers reached double figures in the scoring column, and Thomas posted a team-high 22 points after shooting 9-of-17 from the floor and 2-of-6 from the three point line.

Valdosta State tallied a 48.5 percent shooting effort from the field against a 34.2 percent performance by the Lady Wildcats, and outrebounded Fort Valley State with 50 total rebounds, 14 of which were offensive boards. Thomas combined with Simpson and Maggie Davis to pull down six rebounds each, while Jordan Waugh led the way with a team-high seven boards.

The victory lifted the Lady Blazers to a 1-1 record on the young season and left the Lady Wildcats searching for their first victory of the 2014 campaign after falling to 0-2.

Next up for Valdosta State, it's a rematch against the Lady Wildcats, but this time on FVSU's home floor in Fort Valley, Ga. The match is scheduled for Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m., and can be followed live at www.vstateblazers.com.