CLINTON, Miss. –Forty-five seconds into the game, Valdosta State took a 1-0 lead on an April Thomas free throw and never trailed for the rest of the day, as the Lady Blazers earned a 76-69 victory over the Lady Choctaws of Mississippi College on Saturday afternoon in Clinton, Miss..

The Lady Blazers jumped out in front early in the contest after a three-point play by Imari Simpson and a five-foot jumper in the paint by Maggie Davis, which opened up a 7-0 advantage for VSU in the opening minutes.

VSU's defense held the Lady Choctaws scoreless for over three minutes before MC's Allie Hill took the lid off the bucket with a lay-in at the 16:43 mark. Within the next two minutes, Valdosta State's lead dwindled to just three points at 9-6, but the sharpshooting Lady Blazer freshman, Jo Bistrow, provided some cushion at the 14:01 mark with her first of two shots on the afternoon, a three-ball that provided a 12-6 lead for the red and black.

Mississippi College continuously nipped at Valdosta State's heels throughout the course of the first frame and even managed to tie the contest up at 36-36 with just under two minutes to go in the period. The Lady Blazers showed resiliency, however, as Davis buried two baskets within the final two minutes of the half to give Valdosta State the upper hand with a 40-38 lead at the break.

Bistrow joined April Thomas to account for the only two three-point baskets in the half, but Thomas' 4-of-7 shooting in the period resulted in 11 points for the senior. The first half point total for VSU marked the first time the team reached the 40 point mark in a single half since November 26 against the Trinity Baptist Eagles. The Lady Blazers have scored 40 or more points in one half just two other times this season, and VSU came away with a victory in each of those contests.

VSU overcame their recent second half woes with a second period start that mirrored the strong start in the first. The Lady Blazers kicked off the first seven minutes of the half with a 14-4 run that opened up a 54-42 lead in favor of Valdosta State. During that stretch, Head Coach Kiley Hill's defense allowed just one field goal for the Lady Choctaws.

Mississippi College posted a threat late in the game and cut VSU's lead to just four points with four-and-a-half minutes to go in regulation. One minute later, Thomas delivered her biggest shot of the night from beyond the arc. The three ball spread Valdosta State's lead to 67-60, and represented one of three long distance shots by Thomas.

The Lady Blazers moved into cruise control from that moment forward thanks to strong free throw shooting down the stretch. VSU finished the day 25-of-35 from the stripe for a 71.4 free throw percentage on the day.

Valdosta State performed well on offense, as they have all season long against GSC opponents. The Lady Blazers shot 51.1 percent from the field and enjoyed double-digit offensive efforts by both Davis and Thomas, who finished with 19 and 17 points, respectively.

Senior Jordan Waugh collected six rebounds for the team lead in the game, and Bistrow shot a perfect 2-of-2 on the day from long distance.
The win allowed Valdosta State to pick up the split on a challenging road stint to Mississippi that boosted the Lady Blazers to 8-4 overall, 4-2 in league play. Meanwhile, Mississippi College fell to 6-4 overall and 2-4 in conference play.

The Lady Blazers will take a brief hiatus for the holiday break before returning to action on January 3^rd in Valdosta, Ga. to host Christian Brothers.