GAME NOTES: Lady Statesmen Basketball at Shorter/UA-Huntsville (1.10-12.13)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Lady Statesmen (7-4, 2-1 GSC) of Delta State University look to rebound from their first Gulf South Conference loss of the season, as the green-and-white travels to Shorter University (6-5, 2-2 GSC) and the University of Alabama-Huntsville (6-8, 3-1 GSC).  DSU and SU will square off on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 6 p.m. inside the Winthrop-King Center, while UAH will welcome the Lady Statesmen to Spragins Hall on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 5 p.m.  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.  J.T. Webb and Herb Brooks, III have the call. 

Delta State split a pair of GSC contests last week with a 77-67 victory at Union University, it's first ever against the Lady Bulldogs, and dropped a controversial 59-58 loss to the University of North Alabama after holding a 24-point lead in the second half. 

The Lady Statesmen and Lady Hawks begin a new chapter in their history, as the two schools meet for the first time on the hardwood in Gulf South Conference and NCAA play.  Prior to Thursday's tipoff, DSU and SU had only competed in cross country, football and golf.

Saturday's matchup with the Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville marks the 13th meeting all-time between the two GSC schools.  DSU leads the all-time series 10-2, including an 86-47 victory over UAH in the first round of last season's NCAA South Region Tournament in Winter Park, Fla.  The two schools split last year's regular season meetings.    

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.

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

David Midlick (7-4, 2-1 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 this week leading the GSC in scoring at 71.9 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 57.9 points and 37.8 percent shooting per game this season.  Opponents are managing just 30.8 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 return to Walter Sillers Coliseum for a pair of Gulf South Conference games next week versus the University of West Alabama and the University of West Georgia.  UWA and DSU will square off on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m., while the UWG contest is set for Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m.

DELTA STATE & SHORTER TO BEGIN NEW LEAGUE RIVALRY
The Lady Statesmen and Lady Hawks begin a new chapter in their history, as the two schools meet for the first time on the hardwood in Gulf South Conference and NCAA play.  Prior to Thursday's tipoff, DSU and SU had only competed in cross country, football and golf.

TRADITIONAL POWERS COLLIDE AT SPRAGINS HALL
Saturday's matchup with the Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville marks the 13th meeting all-time between the two GSC schools.  DSU leads the all-time series 10-2, including an 86-47 victory over UAH in the first round of last season's NCAA South Region Tournament in Winter Park, Fla.  The two schools split last year's regular season meetings.    

A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK'S LADY STATESMEN RESULTS
Delta State split a pair of GSC contests last week with a 77-67 victory at Union University, it's first ever against the Lady Bulldogs, and dropped a controversial 59-58 loss to the University of North Alabama after holding a 24-point lead in the second half. 

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 nine games, the Lady Statesmen have six players averaging 20+ minutes per game and nine totaling 10+ minutes per contest.  Brooke Rhodes (31.0) and Chelsey Rhodes (27.6) 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 57.9 points and 37.8 percent shooting per game this season.  Opponents are managing just 30.8 percent from 3-point range as well. 

OUR GLASS...
Delta State had dominated the boards this season by a +7.9 margin.  Through 11 games, the Lady Statesmen are averaging 41.6 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 (7-4) 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 (14.8) and rebounds (7.2) 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. 

POURING IN THE POINTS
The Lady Statesmen feature four players ranked in the GSC's top 16 in scoring, led by Seneca Walton's 14.8 ppg (5th).  Chelsey Rhodes ranks 9th (13.5 ppg) with Brooke Rhodes 13th (10.8 ppg) and Rhandi Ball 16th (10.2 ppg).  West Florida, which has three in the top 16, is the only other school with more than two.

SWEET HOME ALABAMA
Delta State has enjoyed a great level of success against our current and former Gulf South Conference member institutions from the state of Alabama.  The Lady Statesmen are 95-11 all-time against current members of the GSC from the “Heart of Dixie” and 127-17 against all current and former members (32-6) of the GSC's home state.  

TWO DIFFICULT RHODES
Junior All-GSC guard Brooke Rhodes (10.8 ppg/5.7 rbg) and freshman guard Chelsey Rhodes (13.5 ppg/2.8 apg) combine to form one of the top backcourts in all of the GSC.  The duo accounts for 24.3 points per night for coach Midlick and the Lady Statesmen offensively. 

ASSISTS EVERYWHERE
The Lady Statesmen are averaging 14.9 assists per game this season, while allowing just 10.4 per game.  Senior point guard Brittany Roberts (3.2) leads the way followed by Shanae Govan (2.9) and Rhandi Ball (2.9).

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.