GAME NOTES: Lady Statesmen Basketball versus Union/North Alabama (1.3-5.13)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Lady Statesmen (6-3, 1-0 GSC) of Delta State University return to Gulf South Conference this week against a pair of the league's hottest teams in Union University (7-2, 2-0 GSC) and the University of North Alabama (10-2, 2-0 GSC).  Delta State travels to the Lady Bulldogs on Thursday, Jan. 3 for a 6 p.m. tipoff before returning to Walter Sillers Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 2 p.m. to host the Lions.  Both games will be featured on the Statesmen Sports Network starting at 15 minutes prior to tipoff with the DSU Alumni Association Lady Statesmen Tipoff Show.  Matt Jones and J.T. Webb have the call. 

Delta State is looking to rebound from two-straight road losses to end the month of December after falling victim to Tuskegee (65-61) and Ouachita Baptist (75-72).   Both games were tightly contested and hinged on the home team's ability to get to the free throw line in the game.  Prior to the losses, the Lady Statesmen had ripped off five consecutive victories.   

The Lady Statesmen and Lady Bulldogs begin a new chapter in a Mid-South rivalry, as Union became an official member of the Gulf South Conference this season.  DSU and UU have met just once on the hardwood, an 89-83 loss Jan. 8, 1985 at Sillers Coliseum.

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.  Christian Brothers was picked to finish seventh.

Saturday's matchup with the Lions of North Alabama marks the 49th meeting all-time between the two GSC schools.  DSU leads the all-time series 43-5, including a 67-45 road win at Flowers Hall and a 57-41 win at Sillers Coliseum.

Delta State, who owns the league record with 15 conference championships, continues league play with an amazing 665-132 GSC record.

David Midlick (6-3, 1-0 GSC) is in his first season as head coach of the Lady Statesmen.  The Memphis, Tenn., native, who served the previous nine seasons as an assistant at the NCAA Division I level, was a three-year starter at guard for the University of Mississippi.  His coaching resume includes stops at Tennessee State and Austin Peay. 

Delta State enters league play leading the GSC in scoring at 73.0 points per game.  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 56.8 points and 36.9 percent shooting per game this season.  Opponents are managing just 27.4 percent from 3-point range as well.

Sophomore center Seneca Walton leads the Lady Statesmen in scoring (15.4) and rebounds (7.3) per game through the first nine games of the season.  The Clarksdale, Miss., native is currently fifth in the GSC in scoring and eighth in rebounding.    

UP NEXT
Delta State will hit the road for a pair of Gulf South Conference games versus Shorter University and the University of Alabama-Huntsville.  DSU and Shorter meet for the first time ever on the hardwood on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 6 p.m. EST in Rome, Ga., before closing out the road swing with league preseason favorite UAH on Saturday, Jan. 12.  Tipoff is set for  5 p.m.    

UNION & DELTA STATE BEGIN NEW MID-SOUTH RIVALRY
In a year where the Gulf South Conference will undergo a massive amount of change, two of the Mid-South's most successful and storied women's basketball programs will begin a new rivalry, as Delta State and Union set out as league foes. 

Under the legendary coaching efforts of Margaret Wade, Lloyd Clark and Sandra Rushing, the Lady Statesmen have captured six national championships, 15 GSC titles and amassed a 1,030-249-3 all-time record. 

While DSU has enjoyed its fruits of labor, Union and the Lady Bulldogs have built an NAIA powerhouse under head coach Mark Campbell, who has marched to a 441-54 record in just 15 seasons in Jackson, including an appearance in the NAIA National Championship. 

DSU and UU have met just once on the hardwood, an 89-83 loss Jan. 8, 1985 at Sillers Coliseum.  The new chapter starts Jan. 3 at Fred DeLay Gym in Jackson, Tenn. 

LOOKING TO REBOUND ON THE ROAD
Delta State is looking to rebound from two-straight road losses to end the month of December after falling victim to Tuskegee (65-61) and Ouachita Baptist (75-72).   Both games were tightly contested and hinged on the home team's ability to get to the free throw line in the game.  Prior to the losses, the Lady Statesmen had ripped off five consecutive victories.

LADY STATESMEN QUITE OFFENSIVE UNDER MIDLICK
Delta State return to GSC play Saturday leading the league in scoring at 73.0 points per game.  In fact, the Lady Statesmen lead the league in field goal percentage (45.8), scoring margin (+23.0), rebounding offense (48.4), rebounding margin (+15.0), and rank second in 3-point FG percentage (33.3). 

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 nine games, the Lady Statesmen have six players averaging 20+ minutes per game and nine totaling 10+ minutes per contest.  Brooke Rhodes (29.8) and Chelsey Rhodes (26.9) 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 56.8 points and 36.9 percent shooting per game this season.  Opponents are managing just 27.4 percent from 3-point range as well. 

OUR GLASS...
Delta State had dominated the boards this season by a +10.7 margin.  Through nine games, the Lady Statesmen are averaging 44.4 rebounds per game, while allowing 33.7 rebounds. 

MIDLICK ERA BEGINS AT DELTA STATE
Only the fifth coach in the modern era of Lady Statesmen Basketball,  David Midlick (6-3) 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.

WALTON DEVELOPING INTO DOMINANT POST
Sophomore center Seneca Walton leads the Lady Statesmen in scoring (15.4) and rebounds (7.3) per game through the first nine games of the season.  The Clarksdale, Miss., native is currently fifth 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. 

TWO DIFFICULT RHODES
Junior All-GSC guard Brooke Rhodes (9.8 ppg/5.7 rbg) and freshman guard Chelsey Rhodes (13.4 ppg/3.1 apg) combine to form one of the top backcourts in all of the GSC.  The duo accounts for 23.2 points per night for coach Midlick and the Lady Statesmen offensively. 

ASSISTS EVERYWHERE
The Lady Statesmen are averaging 15.3 assists per game this season, while allowing just 10.4 per game.  Senior point guard Brittany Roberts (3.1) and Chelsey Rhodes (3.1) lead the way for DSU, but Shanae Govan (3.0) and Rhandi Ball (2.6) aren't far behind in assists per game.

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.