GAME NOTES: No. 12 Delta State @ West Georgia (1.6.14) | Shorter (1.8.14)
CLEVELAND, Miss. - The No. 12 Lady Statesmen (16-2, 11-1 GSC) of Delta State University will hit the road this week as they head to take on the Wolves (4-13, 2-9 GSC) of West Georgia and the Lady Hawks (5-13, 3-9 GSC) of Shorter University.
IN THE PAINT
The Green-and-White continue to dominate league play this season. Only losing one conference game, the Lady Statesmen are in a commanding first place ranking in the Gulf South standings.
This week DSU took two big wins over Alabama-Huntsville and West Alabama before hitting the road to Georgia for a two-game road series with West Georgia and Shorter.
Taking on the top scoring team in the conference, Delta State held off the Lady Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville by a final, 65-60 in overtime, holding them to a 28.4 field goal percentage.
On Monday, the Green-and-White took on the Tigers of West Alabama and improved their league record one my game by defeating UWA 63-38. Delta State shot 45.7 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from behind the arc.
Seneca Walton continues to dominate under the basket as she led DSU in both wins over UAH and UWA as the only Lady Statesmen in double figures, enough to earn her second GSC Player of the Week honor for Week 11.
The 6-0 center combined for 34 points and 28 rebounds, including a season-high 21 rebounds against Alabama-Huntsville.
Senior
Chadisty Hickman has stepped up her game in the last two contests. Hickman recorded nine points, four rebounds, six assists, one block and two steals over the Lady Chargers and contributed five points, three rebounds, and three assists against West Alabama.
As a team, Delta State remains at the top of the GSC in scoring defense (53.5 ppg), field goal percentage offense (45.6 %), field goal percentage defense (32.2 %), and rebounding defense (33.9 rpg).
Crossett, Ark., native
Shanae Govan is producing quality playing time for the Lady Statesmen as she leads the team in steals with 48 and assists with 74. She also leads the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.5).
Walton is paving the way to be one of the best Lady Statesmen to play at Delta State. She currently has 11 double-doubles on the season and has surpassed many career milestones. Walton eclipsed career-milestone 800 points in her 20-point performance against West Alabama. She has also reached milestones 400 and 500 career rebounds this season.
Sophomore
Chelsey Rhodes and Walton lead the team in scoring and rank among the top 10 in the conference. Walton sits at No. 7 with 14.9 points per game, while Rhodes sits at No. 8 with 14.6 points per game.
Walton also leads the league in rebounding (10.1 rpg) and field goal percentage (53.0 %). She is currently averaging a double-double.
PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES
The Green-and-White of Delta State University put up two strong performances this week in conference action to remain No. 1 in the GSC standings. The Lady Statesmen held off the top scoring team in the league, Alabama-Huntsville, by a score of 65-60 in overtime.
Seneca Walton guided Delta State to the win as the only player in double figures for DSU, with 14 points and a season-high 21 rebounds for her eleventh double-double of the season. The Lady Statesmen then took on the Tigers of West Alabama and cruised past them, 63-38. Walton was yet again the leading scorer for DSU, putting up 20 points and 7 boards. As a team, Delta State shot 45.7 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from behind the arc. DSU's defense held the Tigers to a 27.1 field goal percentage.
A rarity in college basketball in January is a nine-day break betweengames. However, thanks to a weekend bye and the whims of Mother Nature, that's what the West Georgia Wolves found themselves facing a week ago. Thursday's date at North Alabama was postponed until February 10, due to icy roads. That left a Saturday date at potent Union as UWG's only game of the week. Against the Bulldogs, UWG gave a valiant defensive effort, but still came up short in a 63-55 contest in Jackson, Tenn. The Wolves held the home team to but three baskets from three-point range, and erased a 15-point, second half deficit to claim the lead during the second half. However, Union pulled away to get the win. Marion Lemonnier scored 19 points and pulled nine rebounds to lead UWG, while Seandre Lee added 14 to the cause. UWG, finally, returns home for a pair of games this week. Thursday, powerful Delta State visits The Coliseum, and on Saturday the Wolves play host to Christian Brothers.
The Lady Hawks have hit a rough skid as of late dropping the lastfour contests. This past week Shorter fell to both, Union and North Alabama. In Jackson, the Lady Hawks had four finish the night in double figures as Ieshia Alexander led the team with 20 points, Karisma Boykin added 18, and Kristin Nash and Lynette Harris had 13 each, but only two other players managed to break into the scoring column. While against the Lions, Nash led the Lady Hawks with a game-high 15 points, Alexander added 12 as Shorter finished the game hitting 33 percent of their shots from the floor. Boykin pulled down 10 rebounds. Returning home for two games this week, the Lady Hawks will host Christian Brothers Thursday evening and Delta State Saturday afternoon.
EARLIER THIS SEASON
The Lady Statesmen faced the Wolves of West Georgia earlier this season on Jan. 4 to open conference play after the Christmas break. DSU defeated UWG 57-46 at Sillers Coliseum.
Rhandi Ball guided Delta State to the win with 14 points, followed by
Chelsey Rhodes with 13 and
Shanae Govan with 12. Seandre Lee contributed 19 points to lead the Wolves. DSU shot 46.3 percent from the field and held West Georgia to 34.9 percent from the field.
On Jan. 6, 2014, Shorter made the trip to Sillers and left with a 64-48 loss. Rhodes led all scorers with 18 points.
Becca Ruckes added 12 points, while Govan and Ball added 10 points each to join Rhodes and Ruckes in double figures. Shorter's Kristin Nash dished out 16 points, followed by Karisma Boykin with 11 and Lynette Harris with 10. Delta State shot 47.5 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from downtown, while holding the Hawks to a 36.2 field goal percentage.
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 4-0 with two wins coming last season, one win coming in 1976, and one coming earlier this year.
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.
Last season saw Delta State sweeping the series with the Wolves of West Georgia. In the first meeting on Jan. 19 at Walter Sillers Coliseum, the Lady Statesmen claimed the victory, 65-54.
Rhandi Ball led DSU with 12 points, while
Chelsey Rhodes added 11 points. The Green-and-White shot 39.7 percent from the field. UWG's Mone Peoples led all scorers with 18 points, followed by Shakiyla McLin with 12 and Jerlisa Taylor with 11.
In game two on Feb. 23 at the Coliseum in Carrollton, Ga., DSU took another victory over West Georgia, 60-49.
Chadisty Hickman guided Delta State to the win as she recorded 15 points,
Rhandi Ball joined her in double figures with 10 points. The Green-and-White shot 38.9 percent from the field and a perfect 100 percent from the free throw line (14-of-14). West Georgia's Jerlisa Taylor contributed 15 points, while Brittany Johnson added 10.
WALTON DOES WORK
The success of Delta State's season lies heavily with the paramount contributions of junior
Seneca Walton. The 6-0 center out of Clarksdale, Miss., continues to be the driving force for the Lady Statesmen on both sides of the ball.
Walton leads the Gulf South Conference in rebounding with 10.1 rebounds per game, while also leading in field goal percentage (53.0 %). She is currently averaging a double-double, 14.9 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game, which has also given her 11 double-doubles on the season.
Walton's stellar performance against top team Alabama-Huntsville hoisted DSU to a 65-60 overtime win, where Walton had 14 points and a season-high 21 rebounds. Delta State's offensive efforts in the last two games has seen Walton leading the team with 14 points over UAH and 20 points over UWA, the only Lady Statesmen to reach double figures in each game.
Career milestones have been reached and eclipsed by Walton as she has reached several already this season just as a junior. Walton reached 800 career points against West Alabama and 500 career rebounds against North Alabama. She currently sits at 804 points and 539 rebounds.
