Box Score CLEVELAND—Sixty-seven days, how long the Statesmen had been without a victory going into Saturday night's game against West Florida. The days no longer have to be counted, as the Statesmen snapped their losing streak with a 72-70 victory in an overtime barn burner.

The game started with a quick pace, as the Statesmen were able to jump out to an early 17-10 lead. The Argonauts fought back behind Marquis Mathis who scored eight of the team's first 10 points. West Florida closed the gap, and took the lead with a 12-2 run.

With the game tied up at 24, sophomore guard Aaron Cooper answered big for the Statesmen with back-to-back three buckets. The buckets put the Statesmen up six, but the Argonauts fought right back to tie the game up at 30. The game remained close for the rest of the half, as both teams had opportunities at the foul line. Jamar Moore gave the Argonauts at boost going into halftime, as he hit a jumper just before the buzzer sounded to tie the game up at 35.

The Statesmen (5-15, 1-8 GSC) shot 38 percent from the floor in the first half. They were 2-of-5 from three-point range, and 7-of-13 from the foul line.

Junior guard Terry Leake Jr. led the Statesmen in scoring for the first half with eight points. The scoring was balanced as eight Statesmen scored in the opening half of play

The Argonauts (14-9, 4-5 GSC) shot 52 percent for the first half. They did not attempt a three-point shot, and were 7-of-12 from the free-throw line.

Moore led the Argonauts in scoring with 11 points in the first half, and Mathis was right behind him with 10 points.

The second half was more of the same between the two teams, as both squads traded baskets. As the game was tied at 49, both teams started to pick up the offensive pace, trying to gain an edge.

The Statesmen gained that edge as Cooper hit a long distance shot to give Delta State the lead with under 10 minutes to play. The lead was short lived, as the Argonauts fought right back. Moore completed the old fashioned three-point play with nine minutes to go, which tied the game at 56.

The battle between the teams continued for the rest of the second half. Every time the Argonauts or Statesmen scored, the other would come right back and answer with their own bucket. Senior forward Marqueys Brown grabbed a rebound and put in a bucket to give the Statesmen a two point lead with one minute to go. Buie then answered for West Florida which tied the game up at 66.

The last minute of regulation saw both teams have chances to win the game. The Statesmen had possession of the ball with 4.5 seconds to go, but a turnover gave the Argonauts a chance to win at the buzzer. Fortunately for the Statesmen, Buie missed a last second floater which forced the game into overtime.  

Overtime featured the same back and forth battle that was played in regulation. Then with 35 seconds to go the Statesmen were able to take a lead thanks to a lay-up By sophomore guard Cornell Knight. The bucket gave the Statesmen the 72-70 lead. The Argonauts had one last chance with five seconds to go, Mike Whisman put up a lay-up, but Brown came through with a heroic rejection that propelled the Statesmen to the 72-70 win.

Leake led the Statesmen in scoring with 16 points. Knight had a big game for the Statesmen. He scored the winning basket, and finished with 15 points, rebounds, and six assists. Cooper finished with 14 for the Statesmen.

As a team the Statesmen shot 44 percent from the floor. They were 4-of-10 from three-point range, and 16-of-23 from the free throw line.

Moore led West Florida in scoring with a game-high 20 points. Moore also grabbed 11 boards for the double-double. Mathis finished with 16 points, and Buie chipped in 12.

As a squad the Argonauts shot 45 percent from the floor. The missed the only three-point shot they attempted, and were 12-of-17 from the free-throw line.

The Statesmen turned 16 West Florida turnovers into 14 points, and the Argonauts scored 11 points off of 17 DSU turnovers. The Statesmen won the battle on the boards 40-37, and the DSU bench chipped in 18 points to 10 scored by the West Florida bench.

The Statesmen now hit the road for their next two games. Their first stop is next Thursday in Carrollton, Ga. as they take on West Georgia. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and you can catch the action on the Statesmen Sports Network.