GAME NOTES:
Delta State @ West Alabama (12.19.13) | Alabama-Huntsville (12.21.13)
CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Lady Statesmen of Delta State University will be on the road t
his week for a conference road series. The series will begin in Livingston, Ala., Thursday, Dec. 19 when Delta State will face West Alabama. The Green-and-White will then travel to Huntsville, Ala., to take on the Chargers of the University of Alabama-Huntsville.
IN THE PAINT
The Green-and-White of Delta State University will face the Tigers of West Alabama leading the series 43-4 overall. This matchup marks the 48th meeting all time between the two programs.
Delta State and West Alabama split their series in the 2012-13 season, one of Delta State's only loss to West Alabama in program history.
West Alabama is coming off an 84-60 loss to Alabama-Huntsville. Shameika Hart and Alexis Hewitt led UWA with a combined 38 points.
Delta State is coming off a big 61-53 win over Christian Brothers University to open Gulf South Conference play for the season.
With the conference opener win over CBU, the Green-and-White improve to 6-1 on the season and 1-0 in Gulf South Conference play.
The Lady Statesmen were led by Chelsey Rhodes with 22 points, four rebounds, and two assists in the win over the Lady Bucs.
Senior Shanae Govan continues to put up stellar performances in her last season with the Green-and-White. She averages 33.8 minutes per game (2nd in GSC) and 5.3 assists per game (1st in GSC).
The series between Delta State and Alabama-Huntsville has intensified over the last couple seasons as both squads competed in postseason play last year. DSU leads the overall series with UAH 12-4, with three of the losses coming in the last two seasons.
A lot rides on these two teams this season as Delta State and Alabama-Huntsville are two of the most talented teams in the Gulf South. UAH was chosen to finish second in the GSC this year just behind DSU at number one.
Alabama-Huntsville ended Delta State's hopes of a 16th GSC Championship last season as UAH defeated DSU in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
The Lady Statesmen redeemed themselves a few weeks later in the NCAA DII South Region Tournament. The Green-and-White ended the season for the Chargers with a win in the semifinal game to move to the championship game with Nova Southeastern.
This matchup will be nothing short of exciting with Alabama-Huntsville leading the Gulf South in scoring offense and Delta State leading the GSC in scoring defense.
Both squads opened Gulf South Confernce play with wins to begin the 2013-14 campaign with UAH's coming over West Alabama and DSU's coming over Christian Brothers.
PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES
The Delta State University Lady Statesmen hit the hardwood on Dec. 14 in Memphis, Tenn., to open Gulf South Conference play against Christian Brothers. The Green-and-White claimed the 61-53 victory over the Lady Bucs to improve to 6-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference play. Three Lady Statesmen reached double figures in their first conference win of the season, including Chelsey Rhodes, Seneca Walton, and Rhandi Ball. Rhodes led the way as she drained 22 points, grabbed four rebounds, and recorded two assists. Rhodes went 7-of-15 from the field, 3-of-6 from behind the arc, and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line to guide Delta State to the win. Rhandi Ball added 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and one steal, while Walton contributed 10 points, four rebounds, and two blocks. The Green-and-White went 21-of-46 from the field for a 45.7 field goal percentage, 3-of-8 from behind the arc for a 37.5 three-point shooting percentage, and 16-of-20 from the free throw line to shoot an 80 percent free throw percentage. The Delta defense held Christian Brothers to just a 32.2 field goal percentage and an 11.1 three-point shooting percentage.
The Tigers of West Alabama opened conference play against Alabama-Huntsville in Huntsville on Dec. 14. West Alabama fell to the defending Gulf South Conference Champions by a score of 84-60. The Tigers were carried by Shameika Hart who led with 22 points, four rebounds and two assists. Alexis Hewitt added a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Kelcia Bufkin contributed 10 points, three rebounds, and six assists. West Alabama shot 35.4 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from long range, and 46.7 percent from the free throw line.
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Lady Statesmen lead the series with West Alabama with a 43-4 overall record. Last season saw the two squads splitting the series, each team winning at home. On January 17, 2013, Delta State defeated West Alabama at Walter Sillers with a final of 58-32. Seneca Walton led the Lady Statesmen with a double-double, 15 points and a whopping 23 rebounds. West Alabama's Nikkia Jordan led the Tigers with 14 points and five rebounds. Delta State shot 36.4 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from long range, and 76.2 percent from the line. The Delta defense held the Tigers to a 20.3 field goal percentage.
The Tigers looked for redemption and found it on February 21, 2013 at Pruitt Hall in Livingston, defeating Delta State 63-61. Jordan led again with 24 points and three rebounds, while Walton led again for Delta State with 17 points and five rebounds. The Lady Statesmen shot 43.4 percent from the field, 55.6 percent from downtown, and 55.6 percent from the free throw line.
DSU VS UAH
The matchup with Delta State and Alabama-Huntsville has turned into a competitive tradition over the last couple years. The Lady Statesmen lead the series 12-4 with three of those losses coming in the last two seasons. Last season saw the two squads meeting four times, with an even 2-2 series record, as both teams made valiant efforts in postseason play.
The last two meetings came in the postseason in the Gulf South Conference tournament and the NCAA South Region tournament. The Chargers defeated the Lady Statesmen on March 9, 2013 by a score of 68-57 to put Delta State out of the running to earn the GSC crown. Alabama-Huntsville would go on to be named the Gulf South Champions. Jordan Smith led the Chargers with 23 points and five rebounds, while Rhandi Ball dropped a double-double performance with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Alabama-Huntsville held Delta State to a 33.3 field goal percentage as they shot 42.6 percent from the field in the win.
Delta State sought revenge in the NCAA DII South Region semi-final matchup with the Chargers. The Lady Statesmen found what they were looking for as they beat Alabama-Huntsville 81-58 to move on to the South Region championship game. Brittany Roberts, now graduated, guided Delta State with 22 points and six rebounds with Seneca Walton recording a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. The Chargers were led by Kendra Jones with ten points and four rebounds. The Lady Statesmen shot 45.5 percent from the field and held Alabama-Huntsville to a 35.1 field goal percentage.
DELTA STATE DOMINATES GSC
The Green-and-White are proving that they deserve the number one preseason pick in the Gulf South. As a team, Delta State leads the GSC in scoring defense (51.3 ppg), field goal percentage (45.3 percent), field goal percentage defense (29.9 percent), three-point percentage defense (22.6 percent), and rebounding defense (31.0 rpg). They are ranked second in scoring margin with an 18.3 point difference and in assists with 17.6 assists per game.
Senior Shanae Govan is making an impact for her last season as she leads the Gulf South in assists with 5.3 assists per game. She ranks second in minutes played (33.8 minutes per game) and assist/turnover ratio (1.7). Three Lady Statesmen rank in the top 10 in scoring, including Chelsey Rhodes (14.3 ppg), Seneca Walton (12.7 ppg), and Becca Ruckes (12.6 ppg). Walton also leads the GSC in rebounding with 8.9 rebounds per game and field goal percentage, shooting 55.1 percent on the season. Rhodes leads the conference in free throw percentage with a 95.2 shooting percentage (20-of-21).
