CLEVELAND, Miss. – Chelsey Rhodes scored a season-high 25 points and Rhandi Ball added 13 points to lead Delta State University women's basketball to a 55-47 victory over the University of West Alabama Saturday, Dec. 6 at Walter Sillers Coliseum. The Lady Statesmen improved to 3-3 on the year and 1-1 in Gulf South Conference play, while the Lady Tigers slipped to 4-2 and 1-1 in league action.

The win marked head coach Craig Roden's 499th career win.
 
UWA jumped out to an early 4-2 lead a minute into the contest and help its last lead of the half with 9:29 to go, 12-11.
 
With 7:28 to play in the first half, the Lady Statesmen began a 19-5 run that would take them into the locker room up 14, 34-20.  
 
After a sluggish start, Rhodes got the Lady Statesmen going offensively; hitting seven of her nine attempts to lead DSU to a 34-20 at the half. Rhodes was also 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 2-of-2 from the line.
 
DSU finished the half shooting 50 percent on 13-of-26 from the floor, while holding the Lady Tigers to 31 percent on just nine made field goals in 29 attempts. The Lady Statesmen were out-rebounded 22-15 at the break, but outscored UWA 11-4 on turnovers.
 
Britney McCloud led the Lady Tigers with nine points.
 
West Alabama got back into the game at the start of the second half, holding the Lady Statesmen scoreless for the first 7:09 while cutting the lead to seven, 34-27, with just under 13 minutes to play.
 
With DSU struggling to find the basket, the Lady Tigers kept clawing into the lead, eventually tying the game at 36-36 with 9:22 to play on Malaka Johnson's 22-foot 3-pointer.
 
After both teams traded one free throw, Rhandi Ball put DSU back up 39-37 with 8:23 on the clock on the first made field goal of the half.
 
UWA's Sheila Washington tied at 39-39 on a driving layup and gave the Lady Tigers the lead 41-39 with 6:43 to play with a steal and a jumper off the glass.
 
Back-to-back layups by Rhandi Ball off UWA turnovers reclaimed the lead for the Lady Statesmen 43-42 with 5:17 to go.
 
Annissa Jackson got into the action with back-to-back jumpers to extend the lead to 47-42 with just under four minutes remaining.
 
Over the final 3:31 the two teams would trade baskets to make the final margin 55-47, as the Lady Statesmen earned their first league victory of the season.
 
After scoring just five points in the first 11 minutes of the second half, the Lady Statesmen outscored the Lady Tigers 19-11 over the final 9:22 to earn the victory.
 
DSU shot 33 percent (6-of-18) in the second half, but finished the game hitting 43.2 percent (19-of-44). UWA managed 28 percent (7-of-25) in the second period and 29.6 percent (16-of-54) overall. Both teams struggled at the line, as the Lady Statesmen made 14-of-21 free throws and UWA 13-of-26.
 
The Lady Tigers out-rebounded DSU 43-31, but the Lady Statesmen won the turnover game 16-13.
Rhodes scored a season-high 25 points and dished out four assists. Rhandi Ball joined her in double figures with 13 points, with 10 points coming in the second period. Jackson closed the day with five points, three rebounds and four assists.
 
McCloud paced UWA with 15 points while Kelcia Bufkin chipped in 12 points.
 
The lead changed eight times and featured nine ties during one of the most tightly contested games of the year for the Lady Statesmen. 
 
Conference play continues for the Lady Statesmen on Thursday, Dec. 11, as Delta State travels to Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. inside Canale Arena. DSU claimed a 61-53 in its last trip to CBU.