SOUTHAVEN, Miss. – Moe Bell scored a career-high 33 points and broke the Delta State record for 3-pointers in a game as the No. 8 Lady Statesmen rolled past West Alabama 85-57 in the opening round of the Gulf South Conference tournament Thursday.
Bell (Madison, Miss./Madison-Ridgeland Academy) shot 11-of-16 from the field, which including an astounding 10-of-14 from behind the 3-point circle to lead the Lady Statesmen. She broke the previous mark of nine triples, set by Megan Teel during the 2001-2002 season.
The win vaulted the Lady Statesmen (24-2) into Saturday's semifinal round when DSU will face GSC East Division champion Valdosta State.
The combination of Bell and Veronica Walker (Indianola, Miss./Gentry HS) proved to be too much for West Alabama (9-19). The tandem combined for 59 points, outscoring the entire Tigers roster in the process.
Walker, who was named the Player of the Year in the GSC West Division, “quietly” scored 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting. She also recorded a career-best five steals.
All-GSC West selection Bug Cooper (Indianola, Miss./Gentry HS) registered game-highs of 15 assists and eight rebounds in addition to scoring eight points.
Latashia Greer and Keiara Middleton each scored 14 points for West Alabama.
The big storyline coming into the game was the matchup between the Players of the Year from each division of the GSC – Walker and West Alabama's Lacey Griffin. Walker got the best of her counterpart Thursday, as Griffin was held to six points.
Delta State led from start to finish as the Lady Statesmen enjoyed the backing of the largest and loudest crowd – including DSU's self-titled Most Annoying Pep Band – of any team in the quarterfinals. The Lady Statesmen improved to 38-3 all-time against West Alabama.
The Lady Statesmen wasted little time imposing their will on the Tigers, jumping out to a 9-0 run less than three minutes into the game. But just as it appeared that West Alabama would fold early against the West Co-Champs and their enthusiastic fans, the Tigers found their groove and cut the DSU lead to six points.
West Alabama did a solid job containing Walker through the first 10 minutes of the game, holding her to two points. However, Walker caught fire midway through the period and used a personal 8-0 run to bump the Lady Statesmen lead to 25-11 with 8:42 remaining in the period.
The Tigers then responded with a 10-0 run of their own to pull to within four points at the 6:10 mark. Delta State took a 32-25 lead into halftime.
Walker scored 15 points in the first half and Bell added nine points during the first 20 minutes. Keiara Middleton led the Tigers with eight points before halftime after going 2-of-2 from the 3-point circle.
The Lady Statesmen broke away from their opponents in the second half, using an early 13-4 run to build their first 20-point lead at 54-34 between the 17:35 and 14:19 marks. DSU's lead never dipped below 16 points the rest of the game.
West Alabama simply could not slow down the Lady Statesmen in the second half as Delta State shot 65 percent (17-of-26) after halftime. The Lady Statesmen shot 56 percent (29-of-52) over the course of the game.
In particular, Bell began heating up in the second half, as she was 8-of-10 from behind the 3-point circle during the latter 20 minutes of the game.
Denesha Henderson (Guy, Ark./Guy-Perkins HS) and Joncyee Sanders (Brandon, Miss./Brandon HS) each scored five points for Delta State. Henderson also added three steals to her stat line.
Jessica Collins (Jackson, Miss./Itawamba CC) and Shameka Russell (Waynesboro, Miss./Southeastern Louisiana) scored three points apiece for the green-and-white, and Jimisha Washington (Cleveland, Miss./Coahoma CC) chipped in two points.
The Lady Statesmen return to action Saturday when they face Valdosta State in the second women's semifinal game Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the DeSoto Civic Center.
Delta State defeated Valdosta State 54-41 in Valdosta, Ga. back in December.
