In the first game since Head Coach Lonnie Bartley registered his 600^th career win, the Lady Wildcats of Fort Valley State University (FVSU) returned to the hardwood tonight (January 3^rd) for a conference match up with the Thorobrettes of Kentucky State University (KSU).  The Lady Wildcats entered the game with a 6-2 record overall and a perfect 4-0 mark in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) play.  The Thorobrettes came in with a 3-4 overall mark and a 3-2 record in SIAC action.
 
Currently ranked second in the conference, the Lady Wildcats were opening a two-game home-stand before embarking on a six-game road trip starting over the weekend.  Tonight's match up was the first of the season between the two teams.
 
After an evenly played first 12 minutes, the Lady Wildcats went on a 12-2 scoring run near the eight minute mark to take a 27-15 lead.  However, the Thorobrettes rallied and with 5:54 left in the first half trailed by two points, 27-25. With a 1:30 left, KSU managed to take a 33-32 lead.  A lay up by FVSU's Yasheeka Jones with 1:08 left gave the Lady Wildcats a narrow lead of 34-33 at halftime.
 
In the first 20 minutes FVSU made 15 of 34 shot attempts (44%) while the Thorobrettes connected on 10 of 19 field goal opportunities (52.6%). Jones led the Wildcats in scoring in the first half with 11 points while Cortney Matthewis and Sharnita Lloyd finished the first half with 13 and 12 points respectively for KSU.
 
In the first three minutes of the second half the Lady Wildcats went on a 8-2 scoring run to build a 42-35 lead.  With 13:29 remaining, the FVSU lead stood at 49-39. 
 
As FVSU continued to mount pressure defense, the turnovers started to rise for KSU.  The relentless Thorobrettes pressed on however.  After some impressive shooting from the field by KSU, with 9:38 left the FVSU lead was down to 57-52.
 
Sensing that things were getting a bit too close, the Lady Wildcats ratcheted up the defensive intensity and broke the game open with 5:40 left by building a 70-58 lead. With 5:17 left in the game, the Thorobrettes had already committed 26 turnovers. A time out taken with 3:25 remaining found the Lady Wildcats with a 20 point lead, 78-58. The Lady Wildcats would go on to extend their lead to 23 points for a final score of 88-65.
 
Jones led FVSU in scoring with 17 points.  She also had three rebounds and three assists.  Freshman Jayme Gilbert finished with 14 points while Whitley Smith and Shytina Harley contributed 10 points each.
 
Cortney Matthewis finished with a game-high 19 points for KSU.
 
The win elevates the Lady Wildcats overall record to 7-2 and they remain undefeated in conference play with a 5-0 mark.  The Thorobrettes fall to 3-5 overall and to even in SIAC play with a 3-3 record.
 
The Lady Wildcats are back in action on Thursday (January 5^th) when they host the Lady Dragons of Lane College in the HPE Arena.  Tip-off time is 6 p.m. with men's action to follow.  Admission to both games is free of charge.