CLEVELAND – The Delta State University men's basketball team won its first conference opener against Southern Arkansas 80-65 The tooth-and-nail fight Saturday at Sillers Coliseum gave the team a 7-7 overall record.

Arian Maliqi was the difference maker for the Statesmen scoring a total of 16 points. He made three out of five three-point attempts and was five for five from the free-throw line.

“Arian was tough; he had big shots and rebounds,” said head coach Jason Conner. “ He put it out of reach for us, and I am proud of him.”

The green-and-white achieved a 52.9 percent from the floor for the game (20-29).

The first half proved to be a close matchup as Delta State lead 36-34 at halftime. Delta State and SAU's points were evenly dispersed among team members as both teams used efficient teamwork to score. Ken Mitchell led the way with a total of 10 points.

Mitchell made all six of his free throw attempts pushing the Statesmen to 72.7 percent from the line. However, Casey Cheshier for the Muleriders made all four of his free-throw attempts making SAU 100 percent from the line.

Rebounds proved to be the separating factor for the first half as the Statesmen out rebounded the Muleriders 17-7.

The Statesmen will battle against the Ouachita Baptist Tigers for the second in conference matchup next Thursday, January 13. The game is set for 8 p.m. at Sillers Coliseum.