VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Lady Blazers put together a solid first half in Cleveland, Miss., but a second half shooting surge by the Lady Statesmen resulted in a 76-46 win for Delta State in Gulf South Conference play on Thursday Night at Walter Sills Arena.

The Lady Blazers (7-4, 3-2 GSC) outscored Delta State (4-5, 2-3 GSC) 29-27 in the first half and held the advantage at the break thanks to a stellar first half effort off the bench by Aliyah Johnson. The VSU junior posted seven points in the first period alone on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, and she kept the Lady Blazers alive throughout the duration of the half with five rebounds, three of which were offensive boards.

Valdosta State controlled the game throughout the first frame with a 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) shooting effort from the field and a 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) shooting performance from beyond the arc.

The tide turned after halftime, however, after a lethal shooting display by the Lady Statesmen that included a 75 percent, 15-of-20 shooting performance from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 tally from long range. Along with Chelsey Rhodes, who was nearly perfect in the second half as she connected on 6-of-7 shots from the field, Rhandi Ball and Carly Keller each posted double digits in the second frame with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

VSU saw the contest slip away as Delta State outscored the Lady Blazers 49-17 in over the course of the period, and buried nine of their final eleven attempts as they strung together a 24-4 run over the course of the final 8:20.

On the night, Valdosta State posted a respectable 18-of-44 shooting effort, but it wasn't enough to overcome the 58 percent, 26-of-45 shooting of the Lady Statesmen. Turnovers also proved to be a determining factor in the contest, as the Lady Blazers committed 21 against just ten by DSU.

Imari Simpson was the only Lady Blazer to reach double figures in the scoring column with 13 points, and the Lady Statesmen managed to hold Lady Blazer April Thomas, one of the league's top ten scorers, to three points on just one long ball.

Valdosta State was unable to find an answer for Rhodes, Delta State's leading scorer this season with an average of 13.1 points per game. The All-GSC guard connected for 21 of her 30 points in the second half alone, and finished the night 10-of-15.

The Lady Blazers will look to rebound from Thursday night's loss on Saturday afternoon in Clinton, Miss. against the Mississippi College Lady Choctaws. The contest will begin at 3:00 p.m. EST and live coverage will be available right here at www.vstateblazers.com.