CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Statesmen basketball team of Delta State University hits the road for conference games against No. 20 Christian Brothers and Union this week. DSU will take on the Bucs of CBU in Memphis, Tennessee on Thursday, Dec. 11 and wrap up the road trip against the Bulldogs of Union on Saturday, Dec. 13 in Jackson, Tennessee.
 
 

STATESMEN GAME DAY INFORMATION
Date/Location:	Dec. 11, 2014 | Canale Arena | Memphis, Tenn. Dec. 13, 2014 | Fred DeLay Gymnasium | Jackson, Tenn.
Tipoff Time:	No. 20 Christian Brothers 7:00 p.m. Union University 4:00 p.m.
Radio:	Statesmen Sports Network | Philip Tang (PxP) Scott Wyant (Color)
Series History:	90th meeting with CBU; Statesmen lead series 51-38 48th meeting with UU; Statesmen lead series 36-11
Live Audio:	Listen Here
Live Stats:	Christian Brothers: Live Stats Union: Live Stats
Live Video:	Christian Brothers: Watch Here Union: Watch Here

 
TIPOFF
Delta State men's basketball improved to 4-4 on the season and 1-1 in Gulf South Conference play with a win over West Alabama and a loss to West Georgia.

The Statesmen suffered a tough 87-84 loss to West Georgia to open the conference schedule then bounced back to earn a 73-66 victory over West Alabama.

DSU's game with West Georgia featured a career-high night for senior guard Alister Chisholm, scoring 26 points on 8-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and 8-of-9 from the free throw line.

Williamstown, Australia native Jack Madgen continues his streak of scoring in double figures in every game this season with a season-high 23 points against UWG and 13 points against West Alabama.

The 6-foot-5 guard ranks first in NCAA Division II and the GSC in three-point field goal percentage at 62.2 percent.

Madgen continues to climb up the ranks in the DSU record book in 3-pointers made and attempted. He holds the No. 5 spot in 3-pointers made (118) and No. 7 in attempts (278).

PJ Davis, a freshman from Cleveland, continues to be the driving force behind the Delta State defense. The forward averages 2.25 blocks per game, ranking 20th in DII and 1st in the league.

As a team, the Statesmen rank 20th nationally in total blocks with 36. Davis alone has contributed half of those.

So far this season, DSU has been successful at capitalizing at the free throw line. The team owns the No. 11 spot in Division II and No. 1 spot in the league in free-throw percentage (77.9 %).

Senior transfer LaQuavius Cotton leads the team in free-throw percentage with 88.9 percent (24-of-27). Madgen is close behind at 80.8 percentage (21-of-26).

This week, Delta State faces a tough No. 20 Christian Brothers team. Although DSU holds the 51-38 series advantage, the Bucs are 4-1 overall and undefeated at 2-0 in league play. They are led by senior Trey Casey who leads the conference in scoring, averaging 22.0 points per game.

The Bucs pulled off an upset in the 2013-14 GSC Tournament as they defeated the Statesmen, 67-64, in the semifinals after DSU earned the regular season sweep over Christian Brothers.

Delta State will travel to Canale Arena in Memphis, where they hold a 16-22 record. The last time the Statesmen won on CBU's hardwood was a year ago, taking the slight 65-63 victory.

Also on the agenda for this week is the 48th meeting between DSU and Union University. This  marks the first year of NCAA eligibility for the Bulldogs, but the series between the Statesmen and UU dates back to Jan. 21, 1933.
 

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THE MAN BEHIND THE SWEATER VEST
The Statesmen are led by one of the nation's top defensive coaches in Jim Boone.  The 28-year veteran 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. This season, the Statesmen rank 21st in NCAA Division II and first in the Gulf South Conference in blocks per game with 5.2.
 
With another season like the Statesmen had last year, Jim Boone will eclipse 400 career wins in Division II. He now holds a .663 win percentage with a 379-193 record.
 
PRESEASON PICKS
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. In the current poll, No. 24 Christian Brothers and No. 15 Alabama-Huntsville are the only two GSC schools in the poll.
 
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.
 
MAKING A STATEMENT
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.
 
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 eight regular season games under his belt, Schmidt leads the team in scoring at 18.5 points per game on 46-of-108 shooting, and assists, averaging 5.4 assists per game. He has scored in double figures in every game this season, with the exception of his five-point performance against Arkansas-Monticello.
 
MADGEN MAKES IT HAPPEN
Entering his third season with the Statesmen, Jack Madgen is building 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 continues to climb up the record books as he now holds the No. 5 spot for three-pointers made in a career with 118, in just two seasons. Madgen also owns the No. 7 rank for three-pointer attempts in a career with 278. He is chasing Delta State great Twentis Magee (1995-98) who holds the top spot in both categories with 195 career three-pointers and 481 attempts.
 
In the Division I caravan, Madgen 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.
 
At the national level, the Aussie owns the No. 1 spot in all of Division II men's basketball for three-point field goal percentage with a 62.2 percent. He has also scored in double figures in every game this season.
 
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. This season, the Aussie is a nominee for the NABC Good Works Team.
 
CLEVELAND BORN AND BRED
Cleveland product PJ Davis has excelled in his first season 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 two consecutive 15-point performances against Florida Southern and Selma University en route to being named the GSC Freshman of the Week in the first two weeks of the season. Davis scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Florida Southern and contributed 12 points and 6 rebounds against the Bulldogs.  He added a combined two assists, seven blocks, and three steals against the two teams.
 
Davis continues to be the driving force behind the Delta State defense. As a team, the Statesmen rank 20th in NCAA Division II in total blocks with 36. The freshman has contributed half of those.
LaQuavius Cotton is also a hometown product who is making his mark at Delta State. The senior transfer from Mississippi College is seeing valuable playing time off the bench and earned his first start against College of Faith on Dec. 1. The 6-foot-6 guard is averaging just under 9 points per game at 8.4 and has dished out 2.0 assists per game. Cotton leads the team at the free throw line with an 88.9 average.
 
SO WE MEET AGAIN
The series with Christian Brothers began on Jan. 15, 1957 and has seen Delta State compile a 51-38 record against the Bucs. Last season the two squads met three times, with DSU sweeping the regular season series, but CBU knocking Delta State out of Gulf South Conference Tournament contention with a loss in the GSC Tournament semifinals.
 
Delta State won the first meeting on Dec. 14, 2013 at Canale Arena by a narrow margin, 65-63, to open conference play. Devin Schmidt led three Statesmen in double figures with 24 points, followed by then senior Willie Readus with 18 and Jack Madgen with 10. CBU's Ryan Fleming and Sidy Sall return this season after scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively. Fleming currently leads the conference in assists with 8.4 dishes per game.
 
In the second meeting, on Feb. 17, 2014, Christian Brothers traveled to Walter Sillers Coliseum and went home with another loss, 66-56. Devin Schmidt was one of three Statesmen that scored in double figures with 14. Trey Casey, fellow Preseason All-American and GSC pick with Schmidt, led all scorers with 18 points, while Sall added 12. 
 
Matchup number three of the season had more at stake, coming in the form of the GSC Tournament. Christian Brothers took the 67-64 win in the semifinals to end DSU's run at the championship game. Readus led all scorers with 27 points, while CBU's Cory McArthy and Casey scored 16 and 12 points, respectively. The Statesmen outrebounded the Bucs in every contest by a combined 25 rebounds.
 
Last season saw the Statesmen sweep the Bulldogs of Union University in regular season action. The first matchup took place at Walter Sillers Coliseum on Jan. 18, 2014. DSU earned the 75-64 win, a contest that featured four ties, but the Statesmen never lost the lead. Jack Madgen led Delta State with 20 points, followed by then-seniors Mike Washington and Willie Readus with a combined 33 points. Union's Corieon Pearson led for the Bulldogs with 20 points, while Ashanti Day added 15. Both Pearson and Day return this season.
 
The Statesmen traveled to Fred DeLay Gymnasium for the second meeting of the season and took home another victory, 77-71. Schmidt and Madgen were two of four Statesmen in double figures with Schmidt tallying 16 points and Madgen adding 12. Pearson and Day were two of five Bulldogs to put up double figures along with Roy Bullock, also returning this year, who all combined for 40 points. The Statesmen set the regular season record for free-throw percentage in a game with a 92.3 average (24-of-26).