VALDOSTA, Ga. - Despite a brief hiatus on the official schedule of the Valdosta State women's basketball team during the holiday season, the Lady Blazers have remained hard at work in an effort to stay sharp, and their first test of the new calendar year is set to tip-off on Saturday night at The Complex with a Gulf South Conference matchup against the visiting Lady Bucs of Christian Brothers.

Valdosta State returns to action with plans to improve their current position in the GSC standings, and the opportunity appears to be a favorable one for Head Coach Kiley Hill's squad, who currently ranks third in the league behind the second place West Florida Argonauts and the top ranked Union Lady Bulldogs.

The Lady Blazers will aim to build on their most recent performance, which ended with an impressive 76-69 victory over the Mississippi College Lady Choctaws back on December 20th. Valdosta State posted a solid 23-of-45, 51.1 percent shooting effort from the field and posted one of their strongest games of the year from the free throw line with 25 points scored from the stripe alone. The 71.4 percent shooting performance from the free throw line marked the fifth time the team has shot 70 percent or better from the line. Each of those five games ended in favor of the Lady Blazers.

The Lady Bucs have struggled in all facets of the game so far this season, and things won't get any easier in Valdosta on Saturday night for Valdosta State's opposition. The Lady Blazers represent one of the top offensive teams in the league at this point in the season with a 45.4 field goal percentage. The accurate shooting of the red and black have placed the squad in second place in the league, just three one-hundredths of a point behind Union.

Christian Brothers stands in stark contrast, as the team ranks last in the GSC with a 36.0 field goal percentage. The Lady Bucs also rank last in scoring offense on the year with an average of 55.6 points per game, while the Lady Blazers are the league's fourth-best scoring team with an average of 68.2 points per game.

The Lady Blazers' offensive attack is led by senior April Thomas, who is averaging 13.5 points per game and ranks 12th among the top scorers in the GSC. She is joined by her teammate Imari Simpson, who also holds a position on the league's scoring leaderboard at 13th with an average of 12.3 points per game.

Saturday night's contest is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. tip, and tickets will be available at the gate. Those who can't make the game are encouraged to follow the action live with audio, video, and live stats coverage, all available right here at www.vstateblazers.com.