CLEVELAND – Veronica Walker led four Lady Statesmen scoring in double-figures as No. 9 Delta State defeated Henderson State 100-69 in a physical, foul-marred game Saturday at Sillers Coliseum to end the regular season.

Walker (Indianola, Miss./Gentry HS) scored 29 points on 11-of-13 shooting and pulled in nine rebounds, finishing one board shy of her 11th double-double of the season.

Delta State (23-2) finished the regular season tied atop the Gulf South Conference West Division with Arkansas Tech with a 12-2 league record. The Lady Statesmen open GSC Tournament play Thursday when they meet West Alabama.

In a lengthy and at times brutal contest, the two teams combined for 65 fouls, including two player technical fouls and one bench technical assessed to Henderson State (15-14, 6-8 GSC West). The game took more than two hours to complete, and Delta State shot 62 free throws.

Bug Cooper (Indianola, Miss./Gentry HS) scored 19 points and handed out 11 assists for the Lady Statesmen. She finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double, grabbing eight, including four offensive caroms.

Shameka Russell (Waynesboro, Miss./Southeastern Louisiana) and Tamara Reed (Bay St. Louis, Miss./Wayne County HS) provided some spark off the bench, scoring 18 points and 10 points, respectively.

Russell added seven rebounds to her line, which was matched by teammate Jimisha Washington (Cleveland, Miss./Coahoma CC).

Haley Rogers led Henderson State with 13 points.

The Lady Reddies simply had no answer for the Walker early in the first half as she kept finding her way to the basket with ease, scoring 18 points prior to the 10-minute mark. Walker finished the first half with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

The Lady Statesmen twice built eight-point leads in the first five minutes of the game, but they were both wiped away by Henderson State.

Delta State created some space between themselves and their visitors midway through the half thanks to a 19-4 run between the 12:08 and 6:37 marks to make the score 35-20. The Lady Statesmen took a 43-30 lead into halftime.

The home team owed their first-half advantage to shooting 48 percent (14-of-29) from the floor and 83 percent (15-of-18) from the free throw line. The Lady Reddies shot only 36 percent (10-of-28) from the field and sank only 57 percent (8-of-14) of their free throws.

The Lady Statesmen were able to build their lead into the 20s in the second half, but with Henderson State playing for its playoff life, the Lady Reddies began fouling often with five minutes left to play. As the final portion of the game took a half-hour to complete, HSU ended up putting the Lady Statesmen on the line for 44 free throws in the second half.

Joncyee Sanders (Brandon, Miss./Brandon HS) scored eight points for Delta State. Jessica Collins (Jackson, Miss./Itawamba CC) added six points.

In addition to winning their 48th consecutive home game at Sillers Coliseum, the Lady Statesmen also celebrated Senior Night, honoring their lone senior player and graduate assistant coach before the game.

Dominique Sutton (Jackson, Miss./Pensacola JC) was honored before the game and then made both field-goal attempts she took in the second half to finish with four points.

Graduate assistant coach Denise Smith was also honored before the game. Smith, a graduate student who will receive her master's degree in May, was a team manager with the Lady Statesmen as an undergraduate.

The Lady Statesmen return to action Thursday when they open GSC Tournament play in Southaven, Miss. against West Alabama. Tipoff from the DeSoto Civic Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Check back to gostatesmen.com throughout the week for the latest news for the duration of the tournament.