Game Notes:
Shorter @ Delta State (1.6.14) | Delta State @ Lee (1.9.14)
CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Delta State University women's basketball team will host Shorter University for their second straight home conference game. The Lady Statesmen (9-1, 4-0 GSC) will take on the Lady Hawks (4-6, 2-2 GSC) at Walter Sillers Coliseum on Monday, Jan. 6. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m.
IN THE PAINT
The Lady Statesmen of Delta State University will take on the Lady Hawks of Shorter University in Gulf South Conference action.
The history between the two squads is short as this is only the fourth meeting all time with DSU leading the series 3-0.
Last season marked the first time Delta State played Shorter University since 1976 when Shorter was known as Shorter College.
Delta State swept the series last season, Shorter's inaugural season in the Gulf South Conference, with 65-59 and 65-44 victories.
Shorter's Karisma Boykin led the Lady Hawks in both games last season, scoring a combined 28 points, grabbing 9 boards, and adding 7 assists.
In game one,
Rhandi Ball guided the Lady Statesmen to the win with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. In game two,
Seneca Walton and Ball each recorded a double-double, Walton with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Ball with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
DSU will hit the road on Thursday, Jan. 9 to take on the Lady Flames of Lee University for the first time in program history. Lee is currently ranked fourth in the GSC with an overall record of 6-3 and a 2-1 conference record.
This marks Lee University's first season in the Gulf South. They are in the transition phase to NCAA Division II.
The Green-and-White are coming off a big conference win over West Georgia that saw DSU claiming a 57-46 victory. With the win, Delta State takes the No. 1 spot in Gulf South Conference standings.
Junior
Rhandi Ball led the Green-and-White over West Georgia with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steals.
Monticello, Ark., native
Chelsey Rhodes is leading the Lady Statesmen in scoring and ranks No. 7 in the GSC with 14.9 points per game.
Junior center
Seneca Walton follows close behind Rhodes on the team (2nd) and the GSC (10th) with 13.8 points per game. Walton leads the GSC in rebounding with 9.0 rebounds per game. The closest to her has 8.4 rebounds per game.
Junior transfer
Myiesha Stewart is proving herself as a Lady Statesmen. Stewart has played in all 10 games off the bench and is averaging 4.4 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game under the basket.
Delta State continues to lead the conference in offensive and defensive categories. DSU is No. 1 in field goal percentage offense (47.8%) and field goal percentage defense (30.2%).
PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES
Delta State is coming off a big 57-46 conference win over West Georgia to improve to 9-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play.
Rhandi Ball carried the Lady Statesmen to the win over the Wolves with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
Chelsey Rhodes added 13 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
Shanae Govan was one point shy of her career-high with 12 points. Govan also added two assists and four steals. The Lady Statesmen went 25-of-54 from the field for a 46.3 shooting percentage. They shot 28.6 percent from downtown and 50.0 percent from the free-throw line. The Delta Defense held the Wolves to a 34.9 percent field goal percentage and 33.3 shooting percentage from behind the arc.
Shorter University is coming off a 74-63 loss to Christian Brothers to fall to 4-6 on the season and 2-2 in league play. Lynette Harris led the Lady Hawks with 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Kristin Nash added 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. Karisma Boykin contributed nine points, eleven rebounds, one assist, and one steal. The Lady Hawks shot 41.4 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from long range, and 58.3 percent from the line. Shorter allowed the Lady Bucs to shoot 57.1 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range.
The Lady Flames of Lee University suffered their first conference loss of the season in an 82-77 overtime loss to North Alabama. Hollie German put up a whopping 33 points to lead Lee. Karley Miller added 19 points, while Jenna Adams contributed 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and two steals. The Lady Flames shot 50.0 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from long range, and 75.0 percent from the free throw line. Lee's defense allowed North Alabama to shoot 43.4 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from downtown. Lee will take on Union University before hosting the Lady Statesmen.
INSIDE THE SERIES
The series between the Lady Statesmen and the Lady Hawks of Shorter University is a short one with Shorter joining the Gulf South Conference last season. Delta State leads the series with Shorter 3-0 with two wins coming last season and one win coming in 1976.
Delta State swept the series with Shorter last season. The first win cam on Jan. 10, 2013 at the Winthrop-King Centre in Rome, Ga. The Green-and-White won 65-59.
Rhandi Ball guided the Lady Statesmen with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Shorter's Karisma Boykin and Kristin Nash contributed 16 points each.
The second DSU victory came on Feb. 14, 2013 at Walter Sillers Coliseum. Delta State won by a score of 65-44.
Seneca Walton and
Rhandi Ball each recorded a double-double with Walton scoring 10 points and 10 rebounds and Ball scoring 16 points and 10 rebounds. Boykin led Shorter in game two with 12 points and 3 rebounds.
DSU VS LEE
The matchup between Lee University and Delta State marks the first meeting in program history. This season marks the innagural season for Lee in the Gulf South Conference. Lee is in the transistion phase to NCAA Division II. The Lady Flames ended their last season in NAIA as the National Runners-Up.
Lee University is a perennial powerhouse for women's basketball as well as Delta State. The first matchup between the two squads will be nothing short of a talented display of basketball excellence.
Delta State will play Shorter University before traveling to Lee University. Lee is scheduled to play Union before hosting the Lady Statesmen.
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 field goal percentage (47.8 percent), field goal percentage defense (30.2 percent), three-point percentage defense (23.2 percent), and rebounding defense (31.9 rpg). They are ranked second in scoring margin with an 18.2 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 4.3 assists per game. She ranks fourth in minutes played (33.0 minutes per game) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.2). Two Lady Statesmen rank in the top 10 in scoring, including
Chelsey Rhodes (14.3 ppg) and
Seneca Walton (12.7 ppg). Walton also leads the GSC in rebounding with 9.0 rebounds per game and field goal percentage, shooting 54.4 percent on the season. Rhodes ranks second in the conference in free throw percentage with a 90.6 shooting percentage (29-of-32).
TRIPLE THREAT MEETING MILESTONES
Seneca Walton, a center out of Clarksdale, Miss., has surpassed two milestones early into her junior season. She eclipsed 600 career points against Stillman College and 400 rebounds against Belhaven University. Head coach David Midlick said, "Seneca has done a great job for us in both scoring and rebounding as the milestones reflect. We count on her to be a low post presence and to get big rebounds for us, and she delivers for the team." Walton currently sits at 633 career points and 425 career rebounds.
A junior forward and native of Pontotoc, Miss.,
Rhandi Ball has also reached two career milestones just six games into the season. Ball reached 400 career rebounds against Stillman and 600 career points against Paine College. "Rhandi not only scores and rebounds for us, but she often draws a tough defensive assignment. She plays both on the inside and outside and has done a great job for the team so far this year," Midlick added. She sits at 629 career points and 428 career rebounds.
Sophomore sensation,
Chelsey Rhodes, has reached career milestone 400-career points in just her second season. Midlick said, "Chelsey has scored since the first game of her freshman year. She has 3-point range and is able to go to the basket or pull up for a jump shot. She works hard every day in practice to expand her game." She currently has 442 career points.
OFFENSE OFF THE BENCH
Myiesha Stewart,
Kenisha Henry,
Becca Ruckes, and
Anissa Jackson have played in all ten games this season off the bench for Delta State and have contributed to the success of the team.
Stewart receives quality playing time as a post as she averages 16.4 minutes per game. Stewart d is averaging 3.9 rebounds per game, 4.3 points per game and has three blocks on the season under the basket.
Henry only averages 10.7 minutes per game but makes her presence known, as she has contributed twelve assists, eight steals and quality defense this season.
Ruckes is a force to be reckoned with under the net, as she is fourth on the team in scoring with 9.6 points per game.
Anissa Jackson is proving that freshman is just a title. Jackson comes off the bench firing every time she enters a game, as she averages 4.7 points per game and has recorded 13 assists and 17 steals in just seven games, while averaging 20.6 minutes per game.
