VALDOSTA, Ga. - Jeremiah Hill scored a career-high 27 points in Valdosta State's season opener to help the Blazers piece together a thrilling 72-65 comeback victory over the Fort Valley State Wildcats on a rowdy Friday night at The Complex in Valdosta, Ga.

After trailing 11-12 early in the opening frame, Valdosta State (1-0) used a layup by Hill at the 12:11 mark to begin a 19-7 run that lasted just under six minutes and gave the Blazers their biggest lead of the game at 30-19. The Wildcats (0-1) turned the tables, however, and ripped off a 17-7 run of their own to crawl back to within one point at 37-36 before the halftime buzzer sounded.

The Wildcats picked up where they left off in the second half, scoring eight unanswered points within the first two minutes of the period to move in front 44-37. Fort Valley paced the second half for the next ten minutes and increased their lead to 56-45 before the Blazers came roaring back with 21 points against FVSU's nine over the course of the next seven minutes to reclaim a one-point, 66-65 lead with 3:10 to play in regulation. In fact, Fort Valley's last points of the game came at the 3:58 mark on a pair of free throws by Leroy Broner, as the Blazer defense shut out the Wildcats during the final four minutes of the contest.

Complementing Hill's offensive effort, which consisted of a 10-for-18 performance from the field and a 5-for-9 effort from the three point line, was a 17-point night for newcomer Saadiq Muhammad, who shot 7-for-9 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe.

The Blazers posted a 48.2 shooting percentage from the field to top FVSU's even 40 percent performance, and the Blazer bench outscored the Wildcat reserves 34-25. In addition, Valdosta State forward Justin Simon controlled the boards with a game-high 14 total rebounds, despite Fort Valley's higher team rebound total of 40 against VSU's 33.

The Blazers continue opening weekend action tomorrow against the Tigers of Benedict, who defeated West Florida earlier on Friday afternoon. The contest is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. tip in Fort Valley, Ga., with live stats available at www.vstateblazers.com.