Box Score HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Delta State men's basketball team traveled to Spragins Hall looking to pull an upset on Alabama-Huntsville Thursday night. However, the Chargers would not allow themselves to fall victim to the upset as they came away with a 96-53 victory.

From the outset, Huntsville's offense was off and running as they started the game on a 24-4 run. The Chargers (20-3, 11-1 GSC) scored the first 16 points of the game, and the Statesmen were held off the scoreboard for four-and-a-half minutes. The Chargers led by double-digits the entire first half, and took a 54-26 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Statesmen (5-17, 1-11 GSC) shot just 11-of-29 from the floor in the first half, good for 38 percent. The Statesmen made one of their seven attempts from three-point range, and shot three-of-four from the foul line. Junior forward Ryan Smith led the Statesmen in scoring for the opening half with nine points. Smith also grabbed four rebounds in first half.

The Chargers made 17 of 28 shots from the floor in the first half good for 61 percent. They were 8-of-13 from the beyond the arc, and made 12-of-13 first half free throws. Jaime Smith led all scorers in the first half with 18 points. Ronnie Mack also chipped in 11 first half points.

The second half was more of the same as the Charger offense kept rolling. The Statesmen could never mount a run to get back into the game. Junior forward Terry Leake Jr. and freshman guard Arthur Jackson scored seven points in the half for the Statesmen, but it was not enough for the squad to make a run. The Chargers cruised to the 96-53 victory.

Both Leake and Ryan Smith led the Statesmen in scoring with 13 points for the game. Ryan Smith also finished one rebound away from a double double, as he recorded nine boards, his 13 points were a season-high. Sophomore guard Aaron Cooper finished with 12 points, and Jackson scored nine.

The Statesmen shot just 27 percent in the second half, and finished the game with a field goal percentage of 32 percent. As a team, the Statesmen also made only two of their 15 attempts from three-point range, and they converted nine of their 16 shots from the foul line.

The Chargers shot 51 percent from the floor for the game. They made 13 of their 24 three-points shots, and also made 23 of 30 shots from the free-throw line.

Jaime Smith led the Chargers and all scorers with 23 points. Mack finished with 20 points, and Josh Magette finished with 11 points. Magette also tallied nine assists, and grabbed seven rebounds while only turning the ball over twice. Xavier Baldwin and Conner Blasi rounded out the Chargers in double figures as each finished with 10 points.

The Statesmen out rebounded the Chargers 43-40, but also committed more turnovers, as they gave the ball away 15 times compared to nine turnovers for Huntsville. The Chargers scored 19 points off of Statesmen turnovers, while the Statesmen scored seven points off of Charger giveaways.

The Statesmen will look to rebound this weekend as they return to Walter Sillers Coliseum. The Statesmen will host the University of North Alabama this Saturday with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m.