GAME NOTES: No. 14 Delta State University at University of West Georgia/Shorter University (2.4-7.14)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - No. 14 Delta State hits the road for a pair of road contests to wrap up the week after claiming a 92-70 victory over rival University of West Alabama on Monday. The Statesmen begin their two-game road swing through Georgia on Thursday, Feb. 6 at the University of West Georgia. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CST at The Coliseum in Carrollton, Ga. Thursday's showdown will be the 40th between the Statesmen and Wolves. DSU leads the all-time series 25-14 over UWG.
The Statesmen defeated the Wolves 76-59 on Jan. 4 at Walter Sillers Coliseum.
Willie Readus scored a game-high 23 points and cleared 14 rebounds in the victory over the Wolves.
DSU will close out the week at Shorter University on Saturday, Feb. 8., in Rome, Ga. Game time is set for 5 p.m. CST at the Winthrop-King Center.
The Statesmen clipped the Hawks 91-81 in their first meeting of the season. Readus once again provided the spark for the Statesmen with a career-high 36 points and 17 rebounds.
Saturday's game will mark the fourth time the two schools have met on the hardwood. DSU owns a slim 2-1 edge in the series, but the Statesmen have never won a game inside the Winthrop-King Center.
DELTA STATE EXTENDS LEAD IN GSC STANDINGS
After back-to-back wins over Alabama-Huntsville (59-51) and West Alabama (92-70), the Statesmen enter Thursday's stop at West Georgia with a four-game lead in the Gulf South Conference standings.
DSU is 11-1 in GSC play, holding a four game lead over Christian Brothers (7-5) and West Alabama (7-5). Valdosta State (6-5) is fourth followed by Union (6-6) and UA-Huntsville (6-6).
MOVIN' ON UP...STATESMEN CLIMB TO NO. 15 IN NABC POLL
Delta State climbed one spots in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Top 25 to No. 14 after extending its win streak to 10 games after back-to-back wins over Alabama-Huntsville (59-51) and West Alabama (92-70).
It's the highest ranking for the Statesmen since holding the No. 1 spot to end the 2005-06 regular season. DSU debuted in the NABC Top 25 at No. 24 on Jan. 7, 2014.
LAST TIME OUT: STATESMEN CAGE TIGERS 92-70
Devin Schmidt's performance Monday night was beyond anything he could have imagined, as the freshman point guard scored 35 points and handed out seven assists to lead No. 15 Delta State University to a 92-70 victory over the University of West Alabama in Gulf South Conference men's basketball action. The victory avenged DSU's lone loss since the season-opener, a 71-51 decision to UWA back on Dec. 4 at Pruitt Hall.
DSU ended the game shooting 53.8 percent (28-of-52) after connecting on 50 percent (12-of-24) of their shots in the second half. The Statesmen were 9-of-17 from 3-point range and 27-of-36 at the free throw line.
UWA made just 38.8 percent on the night after hitting on 26-of-67 attempts. The Tigers attempted 36 shots from 3-point range, but made just 12 of them.
The glass belonged to the Statesmen as well, as DSU out-rebounded UWA 43-30 and dominated scoring inside the paint 35-22.
Schmidt just missed out on tying the GSC's high for points in a game this season, as the Sevierville, Tenn., native finished with a career-high 35 points. He closed out the best game of his career at DSU by making 11-of-17 shots from the field, and a career-high 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Readus, a 6-foot-8 power forward from Morton, Miss., collected his 11th double-double of the season and his second in a row with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Smith, Jr., and
Jack Madgen, who also had five assists, finished with eight points each. Mike Weems added six points on two key 3-pointers and
Mike Washington finished with four points.
STATESMEN EDGE CHARGERS 59-51
Willie Readus and
Devin Schmidt combined to score 28 points and grab 26 rebounds to lead No. 15 Delta State University to a 59-51 victory over the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The Statesmen improved to 17-2 overall and 10-1 in Gulf South Conference play while the Chargers slipped to 10-9 and 6-6 in league play.
Readus collected his 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 15 rebounds.
READUS MAKING CASE FOR NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Since transferring from Jackson State,
Willie Readus has led the Statesmen to the top of the table in the Gulf South Conference. The powerhouse stands 6-foot-8 and weighs in at 265 pounds. His power is what sets him apart, as the league's leading scorer (20.1 ppg) and rebounder (11.0 rpg) looks to keep DSU in the hunt for the GSC title.
In his last game, Readus, a senior from Morton, Miss., scored 25 points and hauled in 11 rebounds to help DSU claim a 92-70 victory over West Alabama for his 11th double-double of the year. In DSU's 59-51 win over UA-Huntsville on Saturday, Readus collected his 10th double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds.
Readus, who ranks 10th in the NCAA in total rebounds and 11th in double-doubles, is connecting on 52.5 percent of shots this year. He is 134-of-255 from the floor and an outstanding 134-of-183 (73.2 percent) from the free throw line. Readus has scored in double figures in every game, including 18 games with 16-plus points.
THE RACE FOR 16
Each game coach
Jim Boone and the Statesmen search for offensive balance. Led by
Willie Readus' 18 games with 16-plus points, the Statesmen have eclipsed the 16-point plateau 38 times this season.
Devin Schmidt is second on the team with 11 followed by
Mike Washington with four.
SCHMIDT IMPROVING EVERY WEEK
Devin Schmidt, a 6-foot-4 point guard from Sevierville, Tenn., has made a case for Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year after leading DSU to an 18-2 record and No. 15 national ranking. The freshman is averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game for coach
Jim Boone's Statesmen.
Schmidt just missed out on tying the GSC's high for points in a game this season, as the floor general finished with a career-high 35 points. He closed out the best game of his career at DSU by making 11-of-17 shots from the field, and a career-high 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
The former Sevier County standout has scored at least 16 points in 11 games this season and has left his best basketball for GSC opponents. In DSU's 12 games versus the league, Schmidt is averaging 19.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Prior to GSC play, Schmidt was averaging 9.4 points per game.
In his first season in the GSC, Schmidt ranks sixth in scoring (15.9), 10th in rebounding (6.1) and fourth in assists (3.9) per game. His 1.3 assists/turnover ratio is seventh.
DEFENSE NAME OF THE GAME FOR BOONE'S STATESMEN; LEADING LEAGUE IN SCORING & FG% DEFENSE
The Statesmen are led by one of the nation's top defensive coaches in
Jim Boone. The 27-year veteran skipper has hung his hat on his ability to draw up defenses to stop any opponent. Through 20 games, the Statesmen are allowing a league-best 64.0 points and 39.1 percent shooting per game; ranking 12th nationally in scoring defense and 17th in field goal percentage defense.
OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT FOR THE STATESMEN
A year ago, the Statesmen offense averaged 59.5 points per game, but this season coach
Jim Boone has turned up the offense to a blistering 74.9 points per game, ranking fifth in the GSC. DSU has eclipsed the 80-point plateau eight times this season.
WASHINGTON STEPPING INTO LEADERSHIP ROLE
Senior center
Mike Washington holds a massive advantage in the race to lead the GSC in field goal percentage. The Sanford, Fla., native is hitting on 60.5 percent of his shots this season after making 69-of-114 attempts. He enters this week's schedule averaging 9.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
The West Virginia Wesleyan transfer has recently stepped into a leadership role for the Statesmen after leading DSU to an 84-72 win over North Alabama with a career-high 19 points and seven boards. He followed that performance up with 18 points and eight rebounds in a 75-64 victory over Union.
SCORING MARGIN
Delta State enters Thursday's game versus West Georgia leading the GSC in scoring margin at 10.9 points per game. DSU is holding opponents to 64.0 points per game, while scoring 74.9 per contest.
AT THE STRIPE; DSU RANKS AMONG NATION'S LEADERS IN FEWEST FOULS PER GAME
There's no secret to the early success for the Statesmen this season. It's been the free throw line. In 20 games, DSU has attempted 544 free throws, which tops last season's total of 427 in 27 games, to our opponents' 270. The Statesmen are 398-of-544 at the line for 73.2 percent. DSU is attempting 19.9 free throws per game, while the opposition is attempting 9.5 per contest.
A direct correlation for DSU's dominance at the line is its No. 8 national ranking in fewest fouls per game. The Statesmen have committed just 285 fouls this season or 14.25 per game. DSU ranks eighth out of 297 schools featured in the NCAA statistic.
NOT IN MY HOUSE
Senior center
Mike Washington and guard
Cornel Knight have proven to be two of the GSC's best when it comes to blocked shots. Washington enters the week ranked second in the league with 28 blocks (1.6 bpg), while Knight is fourth with 17 blocks (0.9 bpg).
MADGEN NEARING CAREER 3-POINT MADE LIST
Sophomore shooting guard
Jack Madgen is quickly approaching Delta State's career chart for 3-pointers made. The Williamstown, South Australia native is 69-of-183 from 3-point range in his career, needing 18 made 3-pointers to crack the top 10.
STATESMEN TOP LAST YEAR'S WIN TOTAL
Delta State's 67-56 victory at Lee on Thursday, Jan. 9 was the 12th this season for coach
Jim Boone and the Statesmen, topping last year's win total. DSU went 11-16 last year in coach Boone's inaugural season at Delta State.
BOONE TOPS 450-WIN PLATEAU
Statesmen head coach
Jim Boone claimed a memorable 86-82 overtime victory at Spragins Hall on Dec. 21, 2013 over Alabama-Huntsville to eclipse the 450 wins plateau for his career. His career record stands at 459-346, but he owns an outstanding 367-184 mark in NCAA DII play.
Boone (West Virginia State, 1981) is in his second season as head coach at Delta State (27-18). He guided the Statesmen to a 11-16 overall finish in 2012-13 in his first season at DSU.
STATESMEN CLAIM 1200th VICTORY
Delta State eclipsed the 1,200 win plateau after defeating Selma 90-71 and Champion Baptist 78-37 last week. The Statesmen are 1,213-806-1 all-time, boasting the second most victories in Gulf South Conference history with 710.
