CLEVELAND – The No. 6 Delta State Lady Statesmen rebounded from their first loss of the season last week with a convincing 77-51 win over Harding on Thursday behind a career day from sophomore Veronica Walker.

Walker (Indianola, Miss./Gentry HS) scored a career-high 34 points on 14-of-20 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds as Delta State (16-1, 5-1 Gulf South Conference) won its 44th consecutive game at Sillers Coliseum.

Harding (9-9, 2-4 GSC) simply had no answer for Walker, who did most of her damage inside the paint. She was also 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.

The career high from Walker came only five days after setting her previous best of 28 points in Delta State's loss at Arkansas Tech on Saturday. She has averaged 27 points over DSU's last three games.

Moe Bell (Madison, Miss./Madison-Ridgeland Academy) and Shameka Russell (Waynesboro, Miss./Southeastern Louisiana) scored nine points apiece. Junior point guard Bug Cooper (Indianola, Miss./Gentry HS), the NCAA's leader in assists, tallied 11 in addition to scoring six points.

Cooper is now five assists away from Delta State's all-time, NCAA-era (1982 to present) record for career assists, as she now has handed out 559 for her career.

The Lady Statesmen needed the whole first half before they were able to pull away from a pesky Harding squad. After falling behind 7-4 barely two minutes in, DSU began to set the pace for the first half and used a 13-3 run to establish a 17-10 lead with 12:15 left to play. Walker scored six points during that span.

But the visitors were not discouraged, and began to chip away at the deficit. An 11-5 run Harding run over the next five minutes cut the lead to one point. After a Walker basket, the Lady Bisons tied the game on a 3-pointer by Meaghen Kelleybrew with 6:48 to play. Less than a minute later, a Sierra Rollins layup gave Harding its second lead of the game.

The Lady Bisons kept pace with the Statesmen throughout the first half thanks to shooting 67 percent (12-of-18) from the field. However, the visitors never held the lead for more than a minute after the 16:51 mark due to 13 turnovers.

Delta State took its largest lead of the game at eight points after finishing the half on a 10-2 run. Russell hit a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining to make the score 39-31.

The Lady Statesmen shot 47 percent (14-of-30) from the field before halftime. Walker led the way with 14 points and seven rebounds during the first half.

Harding stayed with the Lady Statesmen for the first six minutes after halftime, and briefly cut the lead to single digits. Delta State was then able to put the game away with a 19-1 run between the 14:13 and 4:38 marks in the second half.

The Lady Statesmen held the Lady Bisons to 33 percent shooting (7-of-21) from the field in the second half. The green-and-white sizzled from the field after halftime, shooting 64 percent (14-of-22).

Jasmyne Sanders (Brandon, Miss./Brandon HS) came off the bench to score seven points for Delta State. Rollins led the Lady Bisons with 20 points.

The Lady Statesmen return to action Saturday when they travel to Arkadelphia, Ark. to face the Lady Reddies of Henderson State (11-9, 2-3 GSC). Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.