GAME NOTES: Selma/LeMoyne-Owen at Delta State (11.22-24.14)

CLEVELAND, Miss. – Head coach Jim Boone and the Statesmen basketball team are set for the home opener at Walter Sillers Coliseum. DSU will play host to Selma University on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 4:00 p.m. and LeMoyne-Owen College on Monday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
 

STATESMEN GAME DAY INFORMATION
Date/Location:	Nov. 22-24, 2014 | Walter Sillers Coliseum | Cleveland, Miss.
Tipoff Time:	Selma University 4:00 p.m. LeMoyne-Owen College 7:30 p.m.
Radio:	Statesmen Sports Network | Philip Tang(PxP)
Series History:	8th meeting with SU; Statesmen lead series 7-0 12th meeting with LOC; DSU leads 6-5
Live Audio:	Listen Here
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Live Video:	Watch Here

 

TIPOFF
Coming off a tough two-day tournament in Lakeland, Florida, Delta State men's basketball gets set for a two-game home stretch in the next three days.

At the Sunshine State/Gulf South Conference Challenge, Delta State took on stout competition in the likes of No. 9 Florida Southern and Eckerd.

DSU came away with an 89-77 win over Eckerd in its season opener at the Challenge Sophomore Devin Schmidt led four Statesmen in double figures with 25 points.

Day two of the tournament consisted of Delta State facing off with the Mocs of Florida Southern and suffering a 97-80 loss.

Five Statesmen contributed double figure performances against FSC, led by Alister Chisholm. The Toronto, Canada native tallied a career-high 18 points, followed by Schmidt and PJ Davis with 15.

Cleveland product Davis recorded his first collegiate double-double in the contest with Florida Southern, scoring 15 points and bringing down 12 rebounds. The 6-foot-5 freshman also snagged five blocks en route to being named GSC Freshman of the Week.

In two games, the Statesmen average 84.5 points per game and 32.5 rebounds per game.

The Statesmen will face off against the Bulldogs of Selma University on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Walter Sillers Coliseum in the home opener.

Dating back to December 1990, the Green-and-White hold the 7-0 series advantage and average 101.3 points per game over the Bulldogs.

Although DSU dominates the series, Selma has held Delta State to 72 points and 90 points respectively in the last two meetings.

In last season's matchup, head coach Jim Boone's pack line defense managed to keep the Bulldogs to a 38.7 shooting percentage from the field and 22.9 percent from behind the arc.

DSU faces another tough contest on Monday, Nov. 24 as they play host to in-region opponent LeMoyne-Owen.

The Statesmen earned the 82-71 win over the Magicians last season and own the slight 6-5 advantage in series history.

In the last meeting, Delta State's Willie Readus then senior led all scorers with 31 points. Chisholm, Schmidt, and Jack Madgen return for this season's contest after combining for 29 points a year ago.

Since the programs inception in 1927, the Statesmen are 58-23 in home openers.

Next on the schedule for DSU is a long-standing series with Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday, Nov. 29 before returning home the following Monday to host College of Faith.
 

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DELTA STATE CAPTURES 2013-14 GSC REGULAR SEASON CROWN 
The Statesmen clinched the GSC regular season title on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014 with a 77-71 victory at Union in Fred Delay Gym.  It was the first regular season crown for Delta State (16-4) since the 2005-2006 campaign.
 
THE MAN BEHIND THE SWEATERVEST
The Statesmen are led by one of the nation's top defensive coaches in Jim Boone.  The 28-year veteran skipper has hung his hat on his ability to draw up defenses to stop any opponent.  In last year's regular season, the Statesmen allowed a league-best 65.2 points and 39.5 percent shooting per game; ranking 11th nationally in scoring defense and eighth in field goal percentage defense.
 
With another season like the Statesmen had last year, Jim Boone will eclipse 400 career wins in Division II. He now holds a .664 win percentage with a 376-190 record.
 
POWERHOUSE PROGRESS
In the midst of a program turnaround, head coach Jim Boone has taken a six-win team in 2011-12 and transformed it into a championship caliber powerhouse. In his first season, Boone nearly doubled the win total from six to 11. One year later, he took the same team and more than doubled the win total to 26. A team that was picked to finish fourth in the Gulf South Conference in 2013-14 rose to the top spot of the league rankings at the conclusion of the regular season.
 
STATESMEN SNAG PRESTIGIOUS HONORS
At the end of the regular season in 2013-14, Delta State swept postseason honors in the GSC. Willie Readus, Devin Schmidt, and Coach Boone earned Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year, respectively. Schmidt was chosen to the All-South Region team and was named to the D2 Bulletin All-Freshman Team. Off the court, Jack Madgen and Declan Harrick were the first in program history to be named to the NABC Honor Court. Madgen was also named to the GSC All-Academic Team and Honor Roll. Jake Maestranzi and Harrick joined Madgen on the GSC Honor Roll.
 
PRESEASON PICKS
At the start of every season, preseason picks are predicted throughout the nation by the head coaches in each division and conference. For their performance last season, the Statesmen were tabbed to finish first in the conference this season not only by the conference but also by the D2 Bulletin. With the target on its chest, DSU is prepared for the attention that comes with success.
 
DSU debuted at No. 13 in the NABC Preseason Top 25, the only school in the GSC to make the cut. Florida Southern is the only opponent on the schedule in the preseason poll, ranking at No. 9.
 
HOLY SCHMIDT
Sophomore Devin Schmidt produced a phenomenal debut season last year, averaging 15.1 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, and 4.2 assists per game. Schmidt is an extremely versatile player with his ability to drive in the paint and pull up for a jumper beyond the arc.
 
The Sevierville, Tennessee native dished out a team-best 138 assists last season. Schmidt became the first freshman since the legendary Carl Brown in 1982-1983 to top 100 assists. Brown, an All-American and DSU's all-time leading scorer with 1,799 points, handed out 147 assists in his first season with the Green-and-White. Scott Nagy owns the school record for assists with 549 and tallied 74 in his freshman season. Chad Akins narrowly missed the career mark with 544 career assists, totaling 75 as a freshman in 2006-07.
 
With the experience and maturity in his artillery for this season, the 6-foot-4 guard is set for another outstanding season. Schmidt was one of five chosen to the Preseason All-GSC team by the head coaches in the conference, while also being named a Preseason All-American by the D2 Bulletin.
 
This season, Schmidt has shown he has picked up where he left off. Schmidt led the Statesmen in two of the three exhibition games against Division I teams Mississippi State and Jackson State, including a 25-point performance against the Bulldogs. He also contributed a double-double in the caravan finale with 13 points and 11 boards against Jackson State.
 
With two regular season games under his belt, Schmidt leads the team in scoring, 20.0 points per game on 12-of-25 from the field, and assists, averaging 4.0 assists per game. He led four Statesmen in double figures in DSU's 89-77 win over Eckerd with 25 points (9-of-16).
 
MADGEN MAKES IT HAPPEN
Entering his third season with the Statesmen, Jack Madgen looks to build on his stellar performance as a sophomore. Last season saw the Williamstown, Australia native total a career-high 32 points in the opening round of the NCAA South Region Tournament. Madgen hoisted the Statesmen over Barry University in a thrilling 82-77 overtime win. He now holds the No. 5 spot in the DSU record book for three-pointers made in a career with 102, in just two seasons. Madgen also owns the No. 8 rank for three-pointer attempts in a career with 251.
 
In the Division I caravan, Madgen proved to be the voice of leadership. The 6-foot-5 guard led four Statesmen in double figures with 17 points in DSU's 97-58 loss to Ole Miss. In both regular season games, Madgen has scored in double figures with 16 points against Eckerd and 13 against Florida Southern. His performance against the Tritons included going 4-of-6 from behind the arc and 3-of-3 from downtown against the Mocs.
 
Off the court, the 6-foot-5 guard garnered prestigious honors from the NABC and the GSC. Madgen was named to the NABC Honor Court along with fellow Australian teammate Declan Harrick. He was also named to the GSC's All-Academic Team and Honor Roll for his hard work in the classroom.
 
CLEVELAND BORN AND BRED
Cleveland product PJ Davis has excelled in his first two games in a Statesmen uniform. The 6-foot-5 forward recorded his first collegiate double-double in DSU's 97-80 loss to No. 9 Florida Southern.
 
The freshman tallied 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds en route to being named the GSC Freshman of the Week for week one. Davis also added five blocks and a steal.
 
SO WE MEET AGAIN
LeMoyne-Owen College and Selma University are no strangers as opponents to Delta State. Last season saw DSU earn wins over both teams, LeMoyne Owen 82-71 and Selma 90-71.
Willie Readus led the Statesmen with 31 points and 13 rebounds. LeMoyne Owen's then senior Nick Henry was the leading scorer for the Magicians with 14. As a team, Delta State shot 54.9 percent from the field (28-of-51), 22.2 percent from behind the arc (2-of-9), and 70.6 percent from the free throw line (24-of-34).
 
In DSU's 90-71 win over Selma, five Statesmen contributed double figure performances. Schmidt led the way with 18, followed by Readus with another double-double 17 points and 16 boards. Jack Madgen and Mike Weems joined the duo with 14 points, while Alister Chisholm added 11. As a team, DSU shot 51.0 percent from field goal range (26-of-51), 50.0 percent from downtown (7-of-14), and 68.9 percent from the charity stripe (31-of-45).
 
TEAM RECORDS
The 2013-14 campaign saw Delta State in the top rankings in many statistical categories in the GSC and NCAA. DSU won numerous games last year playing small ball at the free throw line. Last season's team now holds the record for free throw percentage in a single game after shooting .923 (24-of-26) from the charity stripe versus Union on Feb. 22, 2014. The Statesmen also narrowly missed owning the season record for free throw percentage with a .744 average. The record dates back to the 1961-62 season with a .748 percentage.
 
FOREIGN TOUR TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Game One Santo Domingo Select Team: Travel played a factor in the first half as DSU fell to a double-digit deficit. The Statesmen got things figured out quickly, outscoring their opponent 51-43 in the second half. Down by three with the final seconds ticking off the clock, senior Alister Chisholm knocked down a shot from beyond the arc to tie the game. As a team, the Green-and-White shot 47 percent from the field, 41 percent from three-point range, and converted 18-of-25 from the charity stripe. Guard Devin Schmidt led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds. Jack Madgen and Chisholm each scored 14 points with Madgen dishing out six assists, while Zelvin Smith was just shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. The newcomers also played key roles as Jamal Hester and PJ Davis scored eight points apiece with Davis grabbing three rebounds.
 
Game Two Mauricio Baez: Delta State played hard in game two against Mauricio Baez but came up a little short. The Statesmen shot 48 percent from the floor, 23-of-48. As a team, DSU grabbed 38 rebounds and dished out 16 assists. Freshman PJ Davis led the way with 15 points and six rebounds. Jack Madgen added 12 points with Devin Schmidt tacking on seven. Alister Chisholm and Zelvin Smith Jr. each scored eight, while Brice Rowe contributed seven. Delta State fell 73-66.
 
Game Three Dominican National Team: A great effort in the second half by DSU held its opponent to 28 points in the last 20 minutes of play, but it was not enough to earn the win. Three Statesmen donated eight points in Schmidt, Davis, and Smith. Madgen was close behind with seven points, while also dishing out four assists. Ethan Gillis and Jamal Hester each added four points, with Chisholm bringing down four rebounds and providing four assists. As a team, the Green-and-White shot 17-of-37 from the field, 2-of-11 from behind the arc, and 9 of 13 from the free throw line.