CARROLLTON, Ga. – Marqueys Brown scored a team-high 20 points and Eric Spencer came off the bench to score 19 as the Delta State Statesmen cruised to a 94-77 win at West Georgia on Thursday.
Brown (Memphis, Tenn./Crichton College) shot 9-of-11 from the floor and grabbed five rebounds as the Statesmen improved their record to 4-2. Spencer (Marion, Ark./Arkansas-Fort Smith) was 7-of-12, and drained three out of his five 3-point attempts.
The Statesmen used a 15-1 during a two-minute stretch late in the first half to break away from the Wolves and establish a comfortable 16-point lead which was never truly threatened the rest of the game.
Brown's fast-break dunk with 3:08 remaining gave Delta State a 44-28 lead. The Wolves would cut Delta State's lead to 12 before the Statesmen ended the half with a 6-0 run to take a 52-34 lead into the locker room.
The Statesmen were able to build their advantage thanks to shooting 67 percent (31-of-51) from the field during the first half, while holding West Georgia to 33 percent shooting (10-of-30). Delta State collectively shot 52 percent (34-of-65) from the floor throughout the course of the game.
Delta State picked up right where they left off when they returned to court, going on a 13-4 run over the first three minutes and six seconds of the second half. A layup from Roderick Ollie (Indianola, Miss./UAB) at the 16:54 mark gave the Statesmen their largest lead of the game at 65-38.
The Wolves (2-5) were able to chip away at the Delta State lead and get as close as eight points with four minutes remaining, but the Statesmen advantage proved to be too much to overcome.
Ollie scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds. Chad Akins (Madison, Miss./Madison Central HS) added 11 points and handed out five assists.
John Pringle scored 22 points to lead West Georgia.
The Statesmen will have a 10-day layoff before their next contest, a road game at West Florida which will be the first of a two-game road trip beginning Dec. 13. The Statesmen will complete their trip through the Gulf South Conference's East Division when they visit Valdosta State two days later.
