GAME NOTES: North Alabama @ Delta State (1.16.14) | Union @ Delta State (1.18.14)
CLEVELAND, Miss. - The No. 9 Delta State University women's basketball team returns to Walter Sillers Coliseum to host Gulf South Conference opponents University of North Alabama and Union University. The Lady Statesmen (11-1, 6-0 GSC) will face off against the Lions (8-4, 3-3 GSC) of UNA on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 5:30 p.m. The Green-and-White will then take on the Lady Bulldogs (9-3, 4-2 GSC) of Union on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 2:00 p.m.
IN THE PAINT
The Green-and-White of Delta State University continues to prove they are a forced to be reckoned with this season as they have won ten games in a row.
Although the Lady Statesmen suffered their only loss early this season, Delta State has proven to be the best team in the Gulf South Conference with a perfect 6-0 mark in conference play.
DSU has jumped to No. 9 in the recent WBCA poll. A No. 13 ranking was the highest the Lady Statesmen received in the poll last season.
This week Delta State will face conference rival North Alabama for the 50
th time in program history. DSU leads the series 44-5 over the Lions.
Last season saw UNA taking the season series 2-1 as DSU fell to the Lions twice in regular season. The Lady Statesmen sought and found redemption in the third meeting of the season between the two squads at the NCAA South Region Tournament opening round.
Delta State ended the season for the Lions with a 51-41 win as
Seneca Walton guided DSU to the victory with a double-double, 15 points and 11 boards.
Perennial powerhouse programs Delta State and Union University will meet on the hardwood for just the fourth time on Saturday, Jan. 18. DSU leads the series 2-1 with the only loss being from the 1984-1985 season.
The Lady Statesmen are coming off two big conference wins over Shorter and Lee University. Both Shorter and Lee are in the transition phase to NCAA DII as both teams have made the move from NAIA.
DSU defeated Shorter 64-48 as four of the Green-and-White placed in double figures-
Chelsey Rhodes (18),
Becca Ruckes (12),
Rhandi Ball (10), and
Rhandi Ball (10).
Snapping a 43-game home win streak, Delta State routed Lee University on its home turf with a final 71-64.
Junior center
Seneca Walton played lights out against Lee as she posted a season-high 22 points and 11 boards for her seventh double-double of the season.
Crosset, Ark., native,
Shanae Govan, is playing lights-out for her last season with the Lady Statesmen. She is averaging 7.2 points per game and 4.8 assists per game to rank 2
nd in the GSC.
Nationally, two Lady Statesmen rank in the top 20 in respective categories. Walton ranks 15
th in double-doubles with seven so far this season. Govan is currently ranked No.13 in steals with 3.18 steals per game.
Delta State will hit the road again for its longest road trip of the season when they travel to Valdosta, Ga., and Pensacola, Fla. The Lady Statesmen will face the Lady Blazers on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 5:00 p.m. Then, they will travel east to take on the Argos of West Florida on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2:00 p.m.
PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES
The Delta State University Lady Statesmen continue to prove they are a force to be reckoned with in the Gulf South this season.The Green-and-White defeated the Shorter Lady Hawks 64-48 in the two squad's fourth meeting all time. Sophomore guard
Chelsey Rhodes guided the Lady Statesmen to the win with 18 points.
Shanae Govan,
Rhandi Ball and
Becca Ruckes joined Rhodes in double figures. Govan contributed 10 points, career-tying 9 assists and 3 steals. Ball added a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards, while Ruckes finished with 12 points and 2 rebounds. DSU shot 47.5 percent from the field in its victory over Shorter. Delta State snapped a 43-game home win streak held by Lee University since the 2010-2011 season when DSU beat the Lady Flames 71-64 at Walker Arena. The Lady Statesmen shot 49.1 percent from the field in the victory that also marked the first meeting between the two programs.
A 1-1 record on the week left the University of North Alabama women's basketball team with a 8-4 overall record and 3-3 mark in Gulf South Conference play. Two days after holding off Valdosta State, the Lions lost a home decision to West Florida. UNA will hit the road for its next two GSC games, beginning with a Thursday afternoon showdown at Delta State. West Florida dominated the glass and forced 21 turnovers in a 67-52 win at Flowers Hall. It was the first home loss of the season for the Lions. UNA had trouble finding its offensive rhythm throughout the game, hitting only 31.5 percent from the floor, including only 29 percent in the second half. Many of the misses were from point blank range. North Alabama held a brief 19-14 lead after a three-point basket by Dakota Doss. UWF, however, closed the half on an 18-9 run to take a 32-28 lead into the break. UNA never led in the second half. Rebounding proved to be a big factor as the Argonauts held a commanding 56-37 advantage in the category. UWF grabbed 24 boards at the offensive end, leading to 20 second- chance points. Against VSU, the Lions overcame a slow offensive start to grind out a 51-49 home victory. Faris scored 15 points, including a pair of free throws with 11 seconds remaining to seal the win. UNA hit only 24 percent from the floor in the first half, including an 0-for-7 showing from three-point range. After connecting on just 6-of-25 shots from the floor in the opening 20 minutes of play, the Lions trailed 22-18 at the break. Madry helped key an 11-2 run to get the Lions back in the game. The junior from Decatur connected on three straight three-point baskets during the spurt. Her three-pointer from the right wing gave UNA a 33-32 lead at the 12:17 mark. Neither team led by more than three points the rest of the way until Faris' free throws down the stretch.
The Union women posted a 1-2 week in their three home games. It was the first time going back to the 1981-82 season when home/away locations could be tracked, that Union has lost two straight home games. Former NAIA and conference foe Lee knocked of Union for just the third time in the 24 meetings on a shot in the final seconds. Union then saw their rally come up short in a 69-60 loss to West Florida Thursday night. Union trailed 10-0 to start the game and were down by as many as 18 points in the second half, before cutting the deficit to just six in the final minute. However, Union was finally able to shake the second semester rust as they exploded for an 80-45 win over Valdosta State. Union hit 17 3-pointer in the win.
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Lions of North Alabama and the Lady Statesmen of Delta State University have had a long contested rivalry since the two teams joined the Gulf South Conference. The two squads have met 49 times since the initial meeting in the 1980-1981 season. DSU holds the commanding 44-5 lead in the series. However, two of the losses came during the regular season last year.
DSU and UNA met three times last season with UNA taking the series 2-1. Game one was played at Walter Sillers Coliseum on Jan. 15 and saw Delta State lose a tight 58-59 ballgame.
Chelsey Rhodes led with 14 points, while UNA's Sarah Bailey led the Lions with 11 points. Game two came on Feb. 9 at Flowers Hall in Florence and once again saw Delta State fall 42-52 to the Lions.
Seneca Walton led the Lady Statesmen with 13 points, while UNA's Nichelle Fillmore led the game with 15 points.
The Lady Statesmen sought and found redemption a few weeks later at the NCAA South Region Tournament. The opening round featured DSU and UNA. Delta State came out on top with the 51-41 victory to end the season for North Alabama and continue down the road to an NCAA Elite Eight appearance. Walton guided the Green-and-White to the victory with a double-double, 15 points and 11 boards. UNA's Corinne White posted 14 points.
PERENNIAL POWERHOUSES
New to NCAA Division II basketball and Gulf South Conference competition, Union University has made a name for itself as it enters its last season of the provisional stage in the transition to NCAA DII. Union finished last season with the best record in the GSC but was ineligible for postseason play. Delta State and Union are both well known for producing talented basketball programs year after year.
The two programs have only met on the hardwood three times, two last season and one in 1985. DSU leads the series 2-1 over the Lady Bulldogs.
Delta State swept Union last season. Game one was played at Fred DeLay Gymnasium in Jackson, Tenn., and saw DSU defeat UU 77-67.
Rhandi Ball finished with 18 points and 10 boards, while Union's Shelby Ashcraft posted 19 points and 8 rebounds. Game two, played at Walter Sillers, was a nail bitter but Delta State was victorious once again as they routed Union 49-46.
Seneca Walton led with 10 points and 8 boards, while Union's Amber Rechis dropped 26 points.
LADY STATESMEN ATOP THE GSC
Nearing the halfway mark of the conference schedule, the Green-and-White sit at the top of the Gulf South Conference standings with the only perfect record, 6-0. Not only does Delta State rank No. 1 in the standings but it also ranks at the top of several categories.
As a team, the Green-and-White are number one in scoring defense (52.4 ppg), field goal percentage (47.9 %), field goal percentage defense (31.3 %), assists (16.92 apg), and rebounding defense (31.6 rpg).
Several Lady Statesmen rank in individual categories.
Chelsey Rhodes and
Seneca Walton are among the top 10 in scoring. Rhodes ranks fifth with 15.3 points per game and Walton ranks ninth with 13.7 points per game. Walton also leads the GSC in defense (9.3 rpg) and field goal percentage (53.2%). Senior
Shanae Govan is making her mark in her last season with Delta State. She ranks second in assists (4.8 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.5). Ranking fourth, Govan averages 3.2 steals per game and 33.5 minutes per game.
