RUSSELVILLE, ARK—The Delta State Lady Statesmen took care of business in their first matchup of the 2011 NCAA Division II South Regional Tournament as they defeated the Lions of North Alabama 56-47 on Friday, March 11 in Tucker Coliseum.

“I thought we did a good job,” said head coach Sandra Rushing. “I'm happy to be alive for another day.”

Rhythmically, it was a strange first half for the Lady Statesmen. They began with great focus and poise, jumping ahead 10-2 at the 16:35 mark; but UNA picked up their game and scored 13 points in four minutes, taking a 15-14 lead over the Lady Statesmen with 14:32 left to play in the first. The Lady Statesmen were able to take back the lead, but their offense went dry as they did not score in the last four minutes before halftime. Still, Delta State went into the half up 24-21.

But as always, the Lady Statesmen went into the second half cool, calm and determined to take control of the court.

With 11:25 left to play in the game, the Lady Statesmen took a 17-point lead, their largest lead of the game, over the Lions. UNA's offense had taken a turn for the worst as they had only scored five points by this point in the second half.

“The second half was fun,” said Rushing. “I am so proud of these girls and our bench did great.”

The Delta State bench has continually outscored their opponents all season long, and Friday was no exception. DSU outscored UNA's bench 22-16.

Off the bench, Brook Rhodes showed tremendous effort for the Lady Statesmen. In her 23 minutes of play, Rhodes scored 10 points, pulled in 2 rebounds, dished out two assists and grabbed one steal.

“I just love Brook Rhodes. She plays with heart; she is a team player; and she gets everyone involved,” said Rushing.”

GSC West Player of the Year Veronica Walker played with diligence throughout the entire game. She achieved her nineteenth double-double of the season. She ended the night with a team-high 20 points and 15 rebounds

The Lady Statesmen out-rebounded the Lions 39-25. However, UNA outscored DSU in the paint 24-14, which is not something the green-and-white is accustomed to.

At the end of the night, the Lady Statesmen were 86.4 percent from the free throw line (19-22), 35.3 percent from the field (18-51) and 14.3 percent from the arch (1-7).

Comparably, UNA shot 57.1 percent from the free throw line (4-7), 41.3 percent from the field (19-46) and 31.3 percent from the arch (5-16).

“We get to play another day and I'm excited,” said Rushing. “We have to play better than we did but this is fun.”

The Lady Statesmen will take on Florida Southern Saturday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m. Jimmy Smith and Matt Jones will have complete coverage of the NCAA South Region Tournament Semifinal beginning with the “Shelter Insurance Locker Room Report” at 8 p.m. The Statesmen Inside Social Network will also have a live blog and updates throughout the game on Delta State's Facebook and Twitter pages.