SEARCY, Ark. – The Lady Statesmen halted the Harding stampede before it began, dropping the Lady Bisons 71-42, without ever trailing in the game, behind the stellar play of Bug Cooper. The sophomore point guard dominated and dished her way to 10 points and 15 assists for her second double-double in as many games.

Delta State jumped out to a 10-3 lead early in the contest, going 3-of-4 from three-point range in the first three minutes of the game.

As Harding found some rhythm, the Lady Bisons cut the Lady Statesmen lead to four, 13-9, with 11:38 remaining in the half on Kaitlin May's lay-up, but the Lady Statesmen didn't let their opponents stay close for long, extending the lead to double figures, 20-9, on Bug Cooper's jumper a little over two minutes later.

Delta State continued to run away from the Lady Bisons, leading 32-12 with just under 3:30 left in the half, and went into the locker room leading 32-18.

McAdory led all scorers at the half with 13, going 5-of-10 from the field with three from behind the arc. Veronica Walker took just three shots from the field in the first half, connecting on two, and went 1-of-2 from the line to score five for the Lady Statesmen, who were 12-of-29 in the first period, 41.4 percent, but went 4-of-7 from three-point range to give them a 16-point advantage heading into the locker room.

Ashley Anderson led the Lady Bisons at the half with eight points, going 3-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line. Harding was held to just 6-of-16 during the first half, 37.5 percent, and the home team was 0-for-4 from beyond the arc.

The second half was an instructional video for young point guards, as Delta State's Cooper divvied out 11 of her 15 assists in the final 20 minutes of play. Many of those assists went to Moe Bell, who heated up midway through the half to finish with 13 points.

McAdory finished with a game-high 19 points, and Walker and Denesha Henderson added seven each. The Lady Statesmen finished the game shooting 52.7 percent from the field, making 29-of-55 shots, and were 6-of-12 from three-point range.

Defensively, the Lady Statesmen held Harding to 34.2 percent from the field, with Anderson and Stacey Owens leading the Lady Bisons with 14 and 12 points respectively.

The Lady Statesmen return to Walter Sillers Coliseum Saturday, as Delta State plays host to Henderson State University. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. DSU Athletics will host the second annual “Team Up to Read” event. Anyone bringing a children's book to the game will receive free admission and a coupon for free popcorn at the concession stand. Aramark, Delta State's concession provider, will offer a family pack special featuring four hotdogs, drinks and popcorns for $16. For more information, please contact the DSU Department of Athletics at (662) 846-4300.