Valdosta State used a balanced scoring attack and a strong defensive effort to cage the Tigers of West Alabama Thursday night, 68-58. Brittany Ferguson and Brittney Nelson led Valdosta State in scoring to improve to 12-4 on the season and 3-2 in the Gulf South Conference. UWA fell to 6-10 overall and 1-4 in the GSC.

Valdosta State survived an early attack from West Alabama to claim a one-point lead at the half. Then the Lady Blazers outscored West Alabama 37-28 in the second half.

Ferguson poured in 21 points. Nelson scored 15 points, all on three-pointers. Nelson finished with five three-pointers, while the entire UWA team only made two. West Alabama shot just 28.6 percent from three-point range, while VSU shot an impressive 49.1 percent from behind the arc.

West Alabama’s Nikkia Jordan scored 22 points, but no other Tiger reached double digits. That includes Brittany Weathers, who ranks third in the GSC in double-doubles. Weathers only scored six points, four of which came late in the game.

VSU’s Maylisa Johnson finished with nine points, nine rebounds, five assists and just one turnover. The Valdosta State defense forced 11 UWA turnovers.

West Alabama took early leads of 19-10 and 26-16. Valdosta State, however, answered with a strong run to finish the first half. Ferguson started it with a lay-up, followed by a three-pointer from Nelson, one of three she buried in the last four minutes of the half.

The Tigers hit a shot to make it 28-21, but the Lady Blazers put together a few more baskets. Courtney Mitchell made a basket, followed by a Ferguson lay-up. Then Nelson hit another three-pointer to tie the game. Jordan, the first half’s leading scorer with 13 points, made the next basket, but Nelson answered with a three-pointer with 42 seconds left in the half for a 31-30 VSU lead at the break.

At the start of the second half, Mitchell made a long jump shot, then Nelson made her fourth consecutive three-pointer, giving VSU a 36-35 lead just under three minutes into the half.

Valdosta State used another 6-0 run at the 15-minute mark, with two baskets from Johnson and a lay-up from Bena Hanyard, for a 45-37 lead. After the Tigers made two of four free throws, Ferguson made two baskets for VSU’s largest lead of the night, 49-39.

The Lady Blazers were able to maintain that lead and even build it up to a 16-point lead with 2:06 left to play. The smothering VSU defense held West Alabama to just two field goals over an eight-minute stretch late in the game. It proved to be too much for the Tigers to overcome, as Valdosta State went on to a 68-58 victory.

Valdosta State will look to start another win streak against West Georgia back at The Complex at 6 p.m. Saturday in this season’s Valdosta State Hall of Fame game.