CLEVELAND – The Delta State Statesmen survived a scare from Christian Brothers and held off the Buccaneers by a score of 56-55 at Sillers Coliseum on Saturday.

Eric Spencer (Marion, Ark./Arkansas-Fort Smith) came off the Delta State bench to score a team-high 12 points as the Statesmen (12-3, 3-0 Gulf South Conference) won their GSC home-opener.

Zack Warner scored a game-high 19 points to lead Christian Brothers (11-5, 1-2 GSC).

The Statesmen led by as many as eight points in the final stages of the contest when Roderick Ollie (Indianola, Miss./UAB) slammed home a fast-break dunk with 3:15 remaining to give Delta State a 56-48 lead.

The Buccaneers, however, responded with a 7-0 run to end the game and had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Scott Dennis' shot from just inside the 3-point arc was off the mark.

Chad Akins (Madison, Miss./Madison Central HS) scored six points and tallied a game-high 10 assists for the Statesmen. Akins, who is currently chasing the all-time Delta State assists record, recorded 10 helpers for the 15th time in his collegiate career.

Dennis scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Christian Brothers.

Christian Brothers was able to set the tempo to its liking, slowing the game down and utilizing a half-court offense with lots of passing and screens. The strategy worked, as the Buccaneers were able to keep pace with their hosts. Delta State took a 28-25 lead into halftime.

The catalyst for the Statesmen in the first half was Spencer, who came off the bench to score 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting in the first half.

Warner led the Buccaneers in the first half with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

The Statesmen broke away from their visitors several times during the second half, only to see Christian Brothers chip away at their lead. The Statesmen used a 7-0 run right after halftime to establish a 35-27 lead with 17:42 remaining.

Delta State re-upped their lead to eight points at the 15:55 mark in the second half on a dunk by Marqueys Brown (Memphis, Tenn./Crichton College) off an assist by Akins to give the Statesmen a 39-31 lead. However, a 9-2 CBU run cut Delta State's lead to one point by the 10:53 mark.

The Statesmen responded with a 11-2 run of their own to establish a 52-42 lead with 7:40 left in the game. Joe McCray (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Nebraska) capped the run with a 3-pointer to lift the announced crowd of 899 to its feet.

McCray and Ollie scored nine points apiece for the Statesmen. Dino Hair (Picayune, Miss./Middle Tennessee State) scored seven points and Brown added six points. Dmitry Pirshin (Moscow, Russia/Gulf Coast CC) chipped in with five points.

Kevin Doran scored 11 points for Christian Brothers.

The Statesmen return to action Thursday when they host Southern Arkansas at Sillers Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.