CLEVELAND – Eric Spencer came off the bench score a season-best 24 points to lead the Delta State Statesmen to a 96-80 win over Harding on Thursday at Sillers Coliseum.

Spencer (Marion, Ark./Arkansas-Fort Smith) was 9-of-14 from the field, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, to lead five DSU players scoring in double-figures. He also grabbed seven rebounds.

Delta State (14-4, 5-1 Gulf South Conference) rebounded after seeing their eight-game winning streak snapped last week at No. 1 Arkansas Tech.

Kirk Porter scored a game-high 26 points for Harding (8-10, 1-5 GSC).

The Statesmen had to hold off a pesky Harding squad, who fell behind by almost 30 points in the early stages of the first half. The Bisons gave a valiant effort playing catch-up, as they cut the DSU advantage to six points with less than four minutes to play in the game.

The Statesmen wasted absolutely no time setting the pace for the game early on as they hit their first five shots and jumped out to a 12-1 lead on a 3-pointer by Davis at the 17:32 mark.

The Bisons just simply could not keep up with Delta State in the early going, as the Statesmen's pressure defense and hot shooting continued to light up the scoreboard. The Statesmen ended up connecting on 14 of their first 15 shots and led by as many as 29 points when Dmitri Pirshin (Moscow, Russia/Gulf Coast CC) threw down a dunk to make the score 36-7 with 11:21 remaining in the half.

While virtually no one wearing DSU white could miss during the first nine minutes of the game, it was Pirshin was giving early indication it was going to be a special night. He finished the first half with eight points and six assists. His six assists during the first nine minutes topped his previous career-best of three.

With a comfortable lead, the Statesmen opted to empty its bench, but second line of reserves was not able to continue the hot shooting. In the meantime, the Bisons finished the half on a 25-9 run.

Delta State ended up shooting 50 percent from the field in the first half (17-of-34), and finished the game shooting 34-of-66 (52 percent).

Marqueys Brown (Memphis, Tenn./Crichton College) scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting for Delta State. Jeremie Davis (Arcadia, La./New Orleans) added 14 points for the Statesmen.

Chad Akins (Madison, Miss./Madison Central HS) and Roderick Ollie (Indianola, Miss./UAB) scored 13 points apiece. Akins finished with a double-double, as he also handed out 12 assists.

Pirshin finished the night with the eight points and six rebounds he accumulated in the first half. He also recorded two steals in the game before fouling out in the second half.

The Statesmen return to action Saturday when they travel to Henderson State. Tipoff from Arkadelphia, Ark. is scheduled for 4 p.m.