ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Delta State Statesmen erased a 10-point second-half deficit and claimed a 76-72 victory at Henderson State on Saturday.
Chad Akins (Madison, Miss./Madison Central HS) scored 20 points and handed out six assists, and
Marqueys Brown (Memphis, Tenn./Crichton College) and
Eric Spencer (Marion, Ark./Arkansas-Fort Smith) both had double-doubles to lead Delta State (15-4, 6-1 Gulf South Conference).
Brown scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Spencer came off the bench and added 13 points to go alongside 10 rebounds.
Tommy Tillman scored 19 points to lead Henderson State (7-13, 0-7 GSC).
Brown put back a tip-in of his own missed layup with 2:22 left in the game to give the Statesmen only their second lead of the game at 67-66, and then
Jeremie Davis (Arcadia, La./New Orleans) knocked down a dagger 3-pointer on DSU’s next trip down the floor with 1:36 remaining to put the Statesmen ahead for good.
Davis was 2-of-2 from the 3-point arc in the second half, and finished the game with 13 points.
Delta State trailed 62-54 with 7:39 remaining before the Statesmen ran off seven points in the row to pull to within one. Spencer got up on offensive rebound and put back the tip to make the score 62-61 with 4:41 left to play.
After Henderson State went back up by three points on the next possession,
Roderick Ollie (Indianola, Miss./UAB) cut the margin to one again with a layup off an assist from Akins with 4:07 remaining.
On the next trip down the floor, Akins converted a layup to give the Statesmen their first lead of the game at the 3:01 mark of the second half.
After the Statesmen took the lead for good on Brown’s layup, the Statesmen scored six more points consecutively and led by as much as 73-66 with 41 seconds left to play.
The Statesmen only shot 33 percent (10-of-30) in the first half, but caught fire in the second half, shooting 15-of-26 (58 percent) from the field after halftime.
Henderson State led throughout the first half and led by as much as 13 points.
Delta State was able to make up some of the advantage at the free-throw line, where the Statesmen were 22-of-34 (65 percent). The percentage wasn’t stellar, but DSU enjoyed a 34-13 advantage in free throws attempted.
Lance Smith and Vincent Patterson scored 16 points apiece for Henderson State.
Ollie scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds for the Statesmen.
Dmitry Pirshin (Moscow, Russia/Gulf Coast CC) scored six points and hauled in seven rebounds for the green-and-white.
The Statesmen return to action Thursday when they host Ouachita Baptist to begin the second half of GSC round-robin play. Tipoff from Sillers Coliseum is scheduled for 8 p.m.