Courtney Mitchell (32) and the Valdosta State Lady Blazers lost 50-48 to North Alabama on Thursday at the Gulf South Conference tournament in Niceville, Fla.

In rare late season non-conference action, the Valdosta State Lady Blazers had little trouble taking care of Flagler College on Thursday night at The Complex.

The Lady Blazers used points from nine different players, as all 12 players dressed saw action, to blowout the Saints 61-49. With the win, Valdosta State improved to 14-4 on the season.

In what has become a common theme for VSU this season, senior Brittany Ferguson strengthened her resume as a candidate for conference Player of the Year, leading the team with 21 points on 10 of 12 shooting from the floor. Impressively, Ferguson managed to lead the team in scoring, although she played just 16 total minutes on the night.

“I think there is no doubt about that,” Valdosta State head coach Kiley Hill said about the possibility of Ferguson winning the Player of the Year honors. “She has positioned herself for that honor. Now, she has some teammates that have put her in that position, but she has finished the deal. But again, with eight games left for us to play, it is still a long way away.”

Courtney Mitchell added 10 points in the win.

As a team, Valdosta State shot 51 percent from the floor, 65 percent in the first half, while forcing 22 Flagler turnovers, which led to 24 Lady Blazer points.

“Every phase of the game was pretty darn good,” Hill said. “The boards situation and the free throw line was poor, but overall we did so many other good things that it over counted those things.”

Valdosta State jumped out to a 21-9 lead behind 10 points from Ferguson, who accounted for the first eight VSU points.

During that stretch, all 12 VSU players saw action on the court, a clear sign that Hill was looking to get key players, including Ferguson, ample time for rest. Despite the multiple rotations, the Lady Blazers were hot from the floor, starting the game 11 of 16 shooting, a mere 69 percent.

“It was a very positive team effort,” Hill said. “We were in a situation where we were trying to get as many minutes for everyone across the board and keep some of our legs fresh for our big conference game on Saturday. We did a tremendous job consistently with our effort.”

Flagler closed the gap with a quick 5-0 run, bringing the score to 23-14.

After the two teams exchanged baskets, Ferguson scored six straight points, extending VSU’s lead to 33-18.

In the second half, VSU quickly extended its lead to 40-21 before Flagler’s Treva Mason converted a field goal at the 17:46 mark of the half. The field goal was Flagler’s first since the 3:19 mark of the opening half.

Mason’s field goal seemed to ignite the Saints, if for only a few minutes, as they were able to use a 13-3 run to close the deficit to just nine with 11:36 remaining.

Following that, Hill had seen enough, replacing all five players on the court at one time.

“We got away from our role play,” Hill said. “You know, we were up 16 and kind of got into cruise control. We rotated players, some five at a time. And we got complicit with what we were doing.”

The substitutions paid off, as Ferguson nailed back-to-back shots and a free throw to re-extend the lead to 48-36. That was followed up by a Mitchell layup.

From there, the game remained even, as each team scored 13 points across the final eight minutes.

Both Valdosta State basketball teams return to action Saturday night, when West Florida’s teams come to town for Gulf South Conference games.