VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State women's basketball team matched their highest rebound total of the season on Sunday afternoon in Valdosta, Ga. to cap off the weekend with a gritty 56-45 Gulf South Conference victory over the visiting Wolves of West Georgia.

The Lady Blazers pulled down a whopping 52 rebounds in the game, 45 of which were on the defensive end. As a result, the Wolves weren't afforded many second chances. This, along with a paltry 25 percent (16-of-64) shooting effort by Wolves, spelled doom for UWG at The Complex, where VSU has won each of its 10 home games this season.

"West Georgia is always going to be a tough game, and we're going to have to grind it out to win," said Head Coach Carley Kuhns after the victory. "We knew they were going to hang with us, but our game plan was to get stops and to rebound the ball. We found ways to score, and we were a little more aggressive on offense in the second half, but defense and rebounding, along with leadership from our seniors, is what won the game for us today."

Madi Mitchell poured in 22 for her second 20-plus point performance of the week, and the senior also added seven rebounds with two assists. Fellow senior Taylor Buie served as a solid supporting cast member with 12 points, and she doubled her season high rebound total with eight boards in the contest. Furthermore, Kenya Samone' Dixon delivered 11 rebounds, and Crystal Townsend hauled in nine to top her previous best of seven, which she tallied against Shorter on January 4th.

Valdosta State improved to 13-6 overall with the victory and lifted their conference record to 7-4. As a result, VSU is now tied for fourth in the Gulf South Conference standings with West Florida, and only two games separate the Argonauts and Lady Blazers from Lee and North Alabama, who are tied for second place with 9-2 conference records. With today's loss, West Georgia fell into fifth place with a 10-8 overall record and a 6-5 stint against league opponents.

Valdosta State will return to action later this week, as the team travels to Huntsville, Ala. to face the Lady Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville. Tip time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST, and the game will be carried live at www.vstateblazers.com.