Box Score

CLEVELAND, Miss. – Seneca Walton scored 14 points and grabbed a season-high 21 rebounds to lift the No. 11 Lady Statesmen (15-2, 10-1 GSC) of Delta State University to a 65-60 overtime victory over the Chargers (9-8, 4-7 GSC) of the University of Alabama-Huntsville Saturday, Feb. 1 at Walter Sillers Coliseum.  The win kept the Lady Statesmen undefeated at home at 7-0.   

"Proud of the effort we put out on the court today," DSU head coach David Midlick said.  "We fought through adversity and made the plays we had to in order to get the win."

After struggling through the entire game to get to the free throw line, Delta State made the most of its opportunities in overtime, making 14-of-18 attempts to outscore Alabama-Huntsville 16-11 in the extra frame.  DSU made just 1-of-2 field goals in overtime.  

After regulation ended in a 49-49 tie due to both teams lack of offensive execution, it was defense that slowed the UAH charge for the Lady Statesmen.  UAH went cold from the field in the extra frame, connecting on just 4-of-13 shots.  Those misses led directly to free throw opportunities for DSU at the other end. 

UAH quickly took a 51-49 lead on Kendra Jones' jumper with 4:04 to go in overtime. 

Anissa Jackson, a freshman from Forest Hill High in Jackson, Miss., went on a personal 6-0 run at the free throw line over the next 2:12 to build a 58-51 lead with 1:23 to play.

Jordan Smith's 3-pointer with 1:04 left cut the lead to four, 58-54. 

Rhodes and Hickman buried one free throw each on the next two possessions for DSU to extend the lead back to six, 60-54, with 22.0 seconds left in the game.

With 16 seconds on the clock, Smith canned another 3-pointer to make it a three-point contest, 60-57. 

After a pair of Rhodes' free throws extended the lead to five, 62-57, Shannon Steinert's desperation 3-pointer went in to make it 62-60. 

DSU salted away the win at the line, as Rhodes and Walton combined to go 3-for-3 and give the Lady Statesmen the 65-60 victory.

The Lady Statesmen finished the game shooting 34.9 percent on 22-of-63 attempts.  DSU was 1-of-10 from 3-point range and 20-of-31 at the line. 

DSU held the Chargers to a mere 28.4 percent shooting after UAH made 19-of-67 attempts.  Of the Chargers 67 field goal attempts, 22 came from 3-point range and UAH made just five.  The Blue-and-White was also 17-of-30 at the line. 

The Lady Statesmen normally dominates scoring in the paint, but Saturday's performance was a wash, as DSU outscored UAH 30-28 in the lane.  The Green-and-White led 14-6 in points off turnovers and 21-3 in bench scoring. 

Walton's effort Saturday was key down the stretch, as the Clarksdale, Miss., native finished the night with a team-high 14 points and a game-high 21 boards for her 11th double-double this season. She finished 5-of-15 from the field and 4-of-7 at the line, while blocking three shots.
Chadisty Hickman finished with nine points and six assists for DSU.  Jackson chipped in eight with Shanae Govan dropping in eight with five assists.

Rhodes and Myiesha Stewart, who also had eight rebounds, closed out the game with seven points each.         

UAH was led by Smith's 19 points.  Jasmine Hammon added 15 points and Jones 14 to join Smith in double figures. Juanice Newton contributed 14 rebounds and scored six points.

UAH held a 27-26 halftime lead, but DSU outscored the Chargers 23-22 in the second half to send it into overtime. 

The Lady Statesmen square-off with the Lady Tigers of the University of West Alabama on Monday, Feb. 3 at Walter Sillers Coliseum.  Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.  The game is a make-up from last Thursday's snow-related postponement.