GAME NOTES: Delta State Lady Statesmen vs. Tuskegee University/Stillman College (11.19-25.12)
Complete weekly release with notes, rankings and stats in PDF

CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Lady Statesmen (2-1, 0-0 GSC) of Delta State University face a pair of Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams this week, as the Lady Tigers (1-1) of Tuskegee University and the Lady Tigers (0-2) of Stillman College invade Walter Sillers Coliseum.  Tuesday's showdown with Tuskegee is set for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff, while Friday's matchup with Stillman College is scheduled for a 5 p.m. jump as the opening game of the Lloyd Clark Classic. 

Delta State is coming off a 1-1 weekend at the Union University Classic after dropping a 68-51 decision to No. 10 Clayton State and rallying for an 87-72 victory over Brevard at Fred Delay Gym in Jackson, Tenn.         

The Lady Statesmen and Lady Tigers of Tuskegee renew their NCAA South Region rivalry for the first time since 2008 at Sillers Coliseum.  DSU owns a 2-0 lead in the series, including a 44-42 victory in the last meeting on Nov. 15, 2008 at the UWF Lady Argos Classic in Pensacola, Fla.

Stillman College travels to Delta State for the first time in series history on Friday at the Lloyd Clark Classic.  While the two schools have a healthy rivalry in men's basketball and baseball, this will mark the first time the two in-region rivals have played in women's hoops. 

David Midlick (2-1) enters his first season as head coach of the Lady Statesmen, while bringing nine years of collegiate experience to Walter Sillers Coliseum.  The Memphis, Tenn., native was a three-year starter at guard for the University of Mississippi as a player and has continued his coaching career with stops at Tennessee State and Austin Peay. 

Freshman guard Chelsey Rhodes (5-6/Monticello, Ark.) has made an immediate impact for the Lady Statesmen this season, tied for the team lead in scoring at 17.0 points per game.  The speedy guard scored a career-high 19 points in DSU's win over Brevard.

Sophomore forward Rhandi Ball (6-0/Pontotov, Miss.) is averaging a near double-double this season with 9.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.  Ball scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed 11 boards in the win over BC, while clearing 11 rebounds versus No. 10 CSU. 

Seneca Walton, a 6-foot-1 sophomore center, is dominating the paint early in the season.  The Clarksdale, Miss., native is averaging 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while shooting a blistering 58.8 percent from the field. 

The Lady Statesmen have been a defense first program for the last 10 years and coach Midlick has kept the tradition rolling this season, as DSU is allowing opponents just 59.0 points and 36.9 percent shooting per game this season.  Opponents are managing just 28.9 percent from 3-point range as well.

The Lady Statesmen were picked to finish fourth overall this season in the annual Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.  DSU received 33 poll points, while preseason favorite Alabama-Huntsville garnered 47.

UP NEXT
Delta State opens Gulf South Conference play with a pre-Christmas tilt versus the Lady Buccaneers of Christian Brothers University on Saturday, Dec. 1.  Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at Walter Sillers Coliseum.

TWO IN-REGION GAMES MARK WEEK AHEAD FOR DELTA STATE
The Lady Statesmen (2-1, 0-0 GSC) of Delta State University face a pair of Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams this week, as the Lady Tigers (1-1) of Tuskegee University and the Lady Tigers (0-2) of Stillman College invade Walter Sillers Coliseum.  Tuesday's showdown with Tuskegee is set for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff, while Friday's matchup with Stillman College is scheduled for a 5 p.m. jump as the opening game of the Lloyd Clark Classic. 

The Lady Statesmen and Lady Tigers of Tuskegee renew their NCAA South Region rivalry for the first time since 2008 at Sillers Coliseum.  DSU owns a 2-0 lead in the series, including a 44-42 victory in the last meeting on Nov. 15, 2008 at the UWF Lady Argos Classic in Pensacola, Fla.

Stillman College travels to Delta State for the first time in series history on Friday at the Lloyd Clark Classic.  While the two schools have a healthy rivalry in men's basketball and baseball, this will mark the first time the two in-region rivals have played in women's hoops. 

LADY STATESMEN SPLIT AT UNION UNIVERSITY CLASSIC
Delta State is coming off a 1-1 weekend at the Union University Classic after dropping a 68-51 decision to No. 10 Clayton State and rallying for an 87-72 victory over Brevard at Fred Delay Gym in Jackson, Tenn.         

WALTON'S WATCH
Sophomore center Seneca Walton has dominated the paint so far this season for the Lady Statesmen, averaging 17.0 points and 7.0 boards per game, while shooting 58.8 percent from the field.  The Clarksdale, Miss., native scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the 87-72 win over Brevard. 

TRAVELING A NEW RHODES
Freshman guard Chelsey Rhodes has made an immediate impact for the Lady Statesmen this season, tied for the team lead in scoring at 17.0 points per game.  The speedy guard scored a career-high 19 points in DSU's win over Brevard.  The 5-foot-6 Monticello, Ark., native has scored in double figures in all three games this season, including 15 points versus No. 10 Clayton State and 17 in the season-opener versus Selma.

RHANDI'S BALLIN'
Sophomore forward Rhandi Ball has picked up right where her GSC Freshman of the Year honor season left off, averaging 9.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, while dishing out 3.3 assists per contest.  The 6-foot-1 Pontotoc, Miss., native scored a career-high 18 points and 11 rebounds in DSU's 87-72 victory over Brevard.  She also cleared 11 rebounds in the loss versus No. 10 Clayton State.

WAVES AND WAVES AND WAVES
Coach David Midlick's philosophy is a simple one, fresh players equals better results and this season Delta State is certainly putting that plan into place.  Through the first three games, the Lady Statesmen have seven players averaging 20+ minutes per game and 10 totaling 10+ minutes per contest.  Brooke Rhodes (29.7) and Chelsey Rhodes (28.3) lead the way the green-and-white in minutes played this season.

MIDLICK ERA BEGINS AT DELTA STATE
Only the fifth coach in the modern era of Lady Statesmen Basketball,  David Midlick (2-1) began his tenure as head coach Monday night with a 99-37 victory over Selma University at Sillers Coliseum. 

The Memphis, Tenn., native brings nine years experience at the NCAA Division I level back to the Mississippi Delta.  During his time with Tennessee State and Austin Peay State, Midlick established himself as a great evaluator of talent and once on campus the ability to develop student-athletes into successful players on and off the court.

Prior to coming to DSU, Midlick spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Austin Peay State University, where he served under head coach Carrie Daniels and the Lady Governors.   Midlick was in charge of forwards and centers development, while assisting with recruiting, academic tracking, scheduling, compliance and game planning.  Two of his signees in the 2011 APSU class were ranked nationally by ESPN.

SMOTHERING DEFENSE
The Lady Statesmen have been a defense first program for the last 10 years and coach Midlick has kept the tradition rolling this season, as DSU is allowing opponents just 59.0 points and 36.9 percent shooting per game this season.  Opponents are managing just 28.9 percent from 3-point range as well. 

OUR GLASS...
Delta State had dominated the boards this season by a +18.7 margin.  Through three games, the Lady Statesmen are averaging 50.0 rebounds per game, while allowing 31.3 rebounds. 

LADY STATESMEN PICKED 4TH IN GSC COACHES POLL
Delta State found itself in unfamiliar territory, as the Lady Statesmen were picked fourth in the annual Preseason Gulf South Conference Coaches' Poll.  DSU has not been picked lower than second in any preseason league poll since the 2003-04 season. 

UAH claimed five first-place votes and two second-place votes, a total of 47 points, as it was the choice as the GSC's top team in the preseason voting poll done by the conference's head coaches. Last year's surprise GSC Champions, West Alabama, finished with a total of 42 points, three first-place votes and three second-place votes, while Valdosta State rounds out the Top 3 with a total of 35 points.

After a 22-7 season, including a 12-2 GSC record, Delta State is ranked fourth with 33 total points.  North Alabama completes the top five with 26 points.

RHODES NAMED PRESEASON ALL-GSC
Junior shooting guard Brooke Rhodes, a 2011-12 Second Team All-GSC selection, was named to the Preseason All-GSC Team by a vote of the league's head coaches. 

The Pelahatchie, Miss., native averaged 12.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, including 12.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in league play, last season while leading the Lady Statesmen to a 22-7 record and the NCAA South Region Tournament Final.

WE WANT TO BE LIKE MIKE
The Statesmen will be wearing Nike head-to-toe this season after DSU Athletics finalized a deal with the athletic apparel giant last summer. 

LADY STATESMEN, NOT FIGHTING OKRA
Despite some rowdy student objections, athletic programs at Delta State University do not use the student-chosen sub-mascot, Fighting Okra.  The Fighting Okra, the most vicious of all vegetables, was created by a band of students at DSU in the late 1980's and early 1990's. 

While some on campus embrace the scary veggie, DSU Athletics does not.  Our programs have always been, and will continue to be the Statesmen and Lady Statesmen.  If you have a problem with that, take it up with the vegetable in the corner with boxing gloves.

HISTORIC WALTER SILLERS COLISEUM
The Lady Statesmen begin their 38th season inside the historic confines of Walter Sillers Coliseum.  The parquet floor has seen 15 Gulf South Conference championships, three NCAA National Championships and 24 NCAA Tournament teams during its tenure as the home of the Green-and-White.

The 4,000-seat arena offers fans a panoramic view from two different levels, including more than 1,000 chair-back seats in the mezzanine level. During the spring of 1997 the bleachers on the lower east level were replaced with luxury seats for fans and lowered almost to floor level in 1999. The famed floor that so many DSU greats played on was replaced by a state of the art parquet floor following the 1998 season.