BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The No. 20 ranked Valdosta State Lady Blazers completed their northwestern trek with a convincing 89-73 victory over Saint Martin's in non-conference Division II women's basketball action on Saturday at Carver Gym in Bellingham, Wash.

Taylor Buie delivered her first 20-plus point performance of the season with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor and a whopping six three pointers on 13 attempts. The total of Buie's shots made from beyond the arc on Saturday doubled the total that the senior had made prior to the start of the game.

The two teams fought tooth and nail throughout the opening period, but were forced to settle for a 21-21 tie heading into the second quarter. The number two frame was where the Lady Blazers created some separation, as Kia Perry connected from three-point range at the 8:04 mark to spark a 23-point surge before the break. The effort, along with a defensive lockdown that limited the Saints to just 11 points in the quarter, resulted in a 12 point lead for VSU at the half.

Valdosta State never scored fewer than 21 points in a single quarter throughout the game, which helped soften the blow of a 25-point offensive push by Saint Martin's in the final period.

Madi Mitchell, who joined Buie on the All-Tournament team for the Lynda Goodrich Classic hosted by Western Washington, added another solid effort with 17 points and eight rebounds. The Blazers also benefited from a breakout performance by Crystal Townsend, who came off the bench to score 11 of 26 bench points for the Lady Blazers on the afternoon. Townsend shot 5-of-7 from the field and connected on the only three pointer that she took in the contest, and she did it all in just 14 minutes of action.

As a team, the Lady Blazers shot 48.6 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Saints 38-29. The 13 offensive rebounds by VSU led to 15 putback points, which nearly covered the entire spread of the final score.

The win lifted the Lady Blazers to 4-1 on the season, while Saint Martin's stayed above .500 but dropped to to 4-3 on the year.

The contest represented VSU's final non-conference matchup before the start of Gulf South Conference play, as the Lady Blazers will travel to Pensacola, Fla. next Saturday for a highly anticipated matchup against West Florida. Tip time is slated for 2:00 p.m. EST, and can be watched and listened to via live links at www.vstateblazers.com.