GAME NOTES: Lady Statesmen Basketball versus West Alabama/West Georgia (1.17-19.13)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Lady Statesmen (8-5, 3-2 GSC) of Delta State University are looking for consistency this week with a pair of Gulf South Conference home games at Walter Sillers Coliseum.  DSU welcomes in the Tigers (8-5, 3-2 GSC) of the University of West Alabama on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m. and the Wolves (9-4, 3-2 GSC) of the University of West Georgia on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m.

The Gulf South Conference standings feature six teams all within one game of each other this week's games versus West Alabama and West Georgia could provide some separation for the Lady Statesmen.  

QUICK SCREENS
 - Delta State, who owns the league record with 15 conference championships, continues league play with an amazing 667-134 GSC record.
 - Delta State enters this week leading the GSC in scoring at 70.8 points per game and boast the top field goal percentage with a 43.7 average.  The Lady Statesmen have topped 90 points twice, including wins over Selma (99-37) and Stillman (90-54). 
 - 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 58.8 points and 37.8 percent shooting per game this season.  Opponents are managing just 31.5 percent from 3-point range as well.
 - Freshman guard Chelsey Rhodes is making an immediate impact on the Lady Statesmen this season.  The Monticello, Ark., native is averaging a team-high 12.8 points per game, which is good for 11th in the GSC.  She also leads the GSC in 3-point FG% at 50.0 percent on 26-of-52 3-pointers made.
 - Junior guard Brooke Rhodes has turned her scoring average up in GSC play, as the Pelahatchie, Miss., native is averaging 10.8 points per game, 13th in the GSC.  She is also pulling down a career-high 5.7 rebounds per game for the Lady Statesmen.
 - Sophomore center Seneca Walton leads the Lady Statesmen in scoring (14.5) and rebounds (7.4) per game through the first nine games of the season.  The Clarksdale, Miss., native is currently sixth in the GSC in scoring and eighth in rebounding.
 - Sophomore forward Rhandi Ball has become a major scoring threat for DSU this season.  The Ponotoc, Miss., native, who was named the GSC Freshman of the Year last year, is averaging a career-high 10.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season.  In GSC play, Ball is averaging 14.0 points and 6.8 boards per contest.     

ON THE AIR
This week's games with West Alabama and West Georgia will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network. Air time is 15 minutes prior to tipoff with the DSU Alumni Association Tipoff Report.  J.T. Webb and Herb Brooks will have the call.  All home games are also video streamed on www.GoStatesmen.com through America One.  

UP NEXT
Delta State will begin the longest road trip of the season, as the Lady Statesmen travel to the University of West Florida on Thursday, Jan. 24 and Valdosta State University on Saturday, Jan. 26.  Tipoff for Thursday's game at UWF is set for 5 p.m., while Saturday's nationally-televised game at VSU is set for 11 a.m.  Both games will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network with J.T. Webb and Herb Brooks on the call.

LADY STATESMEN & LADY TIGERS TEE IT UP AGAIN
Two of the Gulf South Conference's original members square off this Thursday, Jan. 17 at Walter Sillers Coliseum.  Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.  The game marks the 46th meeting all-time between the Lady Statesmen (8-5, 3-2 GSC) and Lady Tigers (8-5, 3-2 GSC) with DSU owning a 42-3 edge in the series standings.

The game is crucial for both teams, as DSU and UWA sit with identical overall and league records.  

DSU and UWA met three times last season with the Lady Statesmen posting a 2-1 record.  DSU claimed swept the regular season series, but UWA took ultimate revenge with a 62-53 victory in the semifinals at the GSC Tournament in Destin, Fla.  The Lady Tigers went on to win the league crown.       

WOLVES ON THE PROWL
In his third season at West Georgia, head coach Scott Groninger has the Wolves (9-4, 3-2 GSC) poised to make a run at the GSC title.  Saturday's game is slated for 2 p.m. at Walter Sillers Coliseum and will be the 34th time in the series the two teams have met on the hardwood. 

DSU owns a 30-3 lead in the series standings, including a season sweep last season with a 60-46 win at Sillers and a 55-50 victory at UWG.   

A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK'S LADY STATESMEN RESULTS
Delta State split a pair of GSC contests last week with a 65-59 victory at Shorter University, it's first ever against the Lady Hawks, and dropped a hard-fought 69-64 loss at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. 

LADY STATESMEN QUITE OFFENSIVE UNDER MIDLICK
Delta State return to GSC play Saturday leading the league in scoring at 71.9 points per game.  In fact, the Lady Statesmen lead the league in field goal percentage (44.2), scoring margin (+14.0), rebounding defense (33.7), and rank second in 3-point FG percentage (33.6) and rebounding margin (+7.9). 

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 13 games, the Lady Statesmen have six players averaging 20+ minutes per game and nine totaling 10+ minutes per contest.  Brooke Rhodes (30.9) and Chelsey Rhodes (27.3) lead the way the green-and-white in minutes played this season.

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 58.8 points and 37.8 percent shooting per game this season.  Opponents are managing just 31.5 percent from 3-point range as well. 

WALTON DEVELOPING INTO DOMINANT POST
Sophomore center Seneca Walton leads the Lady Statesmen in scoring (14.5) and rebounds (7.4) per game through the first nine games of the season.  The Clarksdale, Miss., native is currently sixth in the GSC in scoring and eighth in rebounding.

In her last outing, the All-GSC and All-American candidate scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in DSU's 75-72 loss at OBU.  Walton was 10-of-16 from the floor. 

POURING IN THE POINTS
The Lady Statesmen feature four players ranked in the GSC's top 16 in scoring, led by Seneca Walton's 14.5 ppg (6th).  Chelsey Rhodes ranks 11th (12.8 ppg) with Brooke Rhodes 13th (10.8 ppg) and Rhandi Ball 15th (10.5 ppg).  West Florida, which has three in the top 16, is the only other school with more than two.

BETTER PROTECT THE BALL
The Lady Statesmen enter this week's contests with West Alabama and West Georgia leading the GSC in steals per game (12.1).  In fact, DSU has swiped 157 steals in just 13 games.

COOKING LIKE THE FOOD NETWORK
The Lady Statesmen have “dished” out some quality stats this season, averaging 14.9 assists per game thanks in part to Brittany Roberts and Shanae Govan.  The duo rank sixth and seventh respectively in assists per game.

Their efforts have put the Lady Statesmen atop the assists per game category in the GSC at 14.9 per game.  The duo also ranks No. 3 and No. 4 respectively in assist-to-turnover ratio.     

TWO DIFFICULT RHODES
Junior All-GSC guard Brooke Rhodes (10.8 ppg/5.7 rbg) and freshman guard Chelsey Rhodes (12.8 ppg/2.8 apg) combine to form one of the top backcourts in all of the GSC.  The duo accounts for 23.6 points per night for coach Midlick and the Lady Statesmen offense, which ranks No. 1 in scoring in the GSC. 

3-BALL
Delta State has used the 3-point shot to ints advantage this season, averaging a league-high 70.8 points per game.  The Lady Statesmen lead the GSC in 3-point FG percentage as well at 34.1 percent.  DSU has connected on 62-of-182 3-point attempts this season.

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.

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.