SOUTHAVEN, Miss. – The No. 8 Delta State Lady Statesmen stanched a comeback effort by Valdosta State and advanced to the Gulf South Conference tournament final with a 72-60 win Saturday at the DeSoto Civic Center.
Veronica Walker (Indianola, Miss./Gentry HS) posted her 11th double-double of the season and her first of the GSC Tournament with a 25-point, 10-rebound performance against Valdosta State.
The semifinal victory by Delta State (25-2) – which finished the season tied for first place in the GSC West with a 12-2 league record – sets up a Sunday tournament final against fellow West co-champ Arkansas Tech, which defeated Harding in the first semifinal of the day.
Bug Cooper (Indianola, Miss./Gentry HS) scored 15 points and handed out nine assists in 35 minutes for the Lady Statesmen. Shameka Russell (Waynesboro, Miss./Southeastern Louisiana) came off the bench and added 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
Amanda Haven and Brittany Daniels scored 16 points apiece for Valdosta State (19-8).
The Lady Blazers were forced to play catch-up after halftime as Delta State led by as many as 15 points early in the second half. Valdosta State used an 8-1 run over a three-minute stretch to cut the DSU lead to 47-42 with 12:18 remaining in the half.
However, the Lady Statesmen would not allow the GSC East champions any closer the rest of the way. Valdosta pulled to within six points with 3:35 remaining in the game, but an 11-2 run over the next three minutes put the game away and brought the enthusiastic Delta State crowd – complete with the DSU Cheerleaders and the school's self-named Most Annoying Pep Band – to its feet.
Walker also added three blocks to her line sheet to bring her season total to 70. She is now 13 assists away from tying the DSU record for blocked shots in a single season.
Moe Bell (Madison, Miss./Madison-Ridgeland Academy) scored six points for the Lady Statesmen. Valdosta State did a solid job on its perimeter defense to keep Bell from shooting many shots after she torched West Alabama for 33 points on 10-of-14 shooting from behind the arc Thursday.
The two teams were evenly matched in the early going, but the Lady Statesmen began to pull ahead thanks to a 7-2 run between the 13:27 and 11:32 marks of the half. Jessica Collins (Jackson, Miss./Itawamba CC) claimed a steal in the VSU backcourt and went in for the layup to push DSU's lead to 19-12.
Valdosta State was able to pull to within one basket, but a 17-5 run over the last eight minutes of the first half gave the Lady Statesmen a 39-25 lead at the midgame break.
After a cold start to the game, Cooper began to heat up midway through the first half, as she led all scorers with 13 points by halftime.
Denesha Henderson (Guy, Ark./Guy-Perkins HS) scored five points and registered a game-high three steals to go along with six rebounds. Dominique Sutton (Jackson, Miss./Pensacola JC) scored four points in the game for the Lady Statesmen.
Collins and Jimisha Washington (Cleveland, Miss./Coahoma CC) rounded out the scoring for the Lady Statesmen, scoring three points and two points, respectively.
The Lady Statesmen will face Arkansas Tech in the GSC Tournament championship game Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
