ARKADELPHIA, ARK – A last second three-point shot rolled around the rim and fell out of the basket to give the Delta State Statesmen (8-9, GSC 2-2) a 54-50 loss against the Henderson State Reddies Thursday at the Duke Wells HPER Center. 

The shot would have tied the game 53-53. Instead, the Statesmen had to foul to try to prolong their chance of winning.

The Statesmen came back from halftime focused and ready to take control of the game, but they continued to have difficulty scoring. They ended the night shooting only 31.1 percent from the floor.

The Reddies were not much better as they ended the night shooting 36.1 percent from the floor.

Arian Maliqi had an outstanding game. He doubled his points from half time ending the night with 20. He also had nine rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Josh French for Henderson State scored 15 points and rebounded nine times, which was the most for his team in both areas.

In the first half, turnovers killed the Statesmen. They mishandled the ball 14 times. The Statesmen also had a difficult time getting the ball to fall as they shot only 33.3 percent from the floor (8-24).

However, Arian Maliqi kept the team alive as he scored 10 of the 23 total points and rebounded six times before halftime.

The Statesmen will take on the Golden Suns of Arkansas Tech Saturday, January 22 at Sillers Coliseum. They will try to earn their ninth win in conference play. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.