Box Score ROME, Ga. - Four Statesmen scored in double figures to help the No. 14 Delta State University men's basketball team beat Shorter University 83-74. The Statesmen (19-3, 12-2) secured the road win over the Hawks (8-12, 5-9) with help from senior Willie Readus' 13^th double-double of the season. DSU brings home the win on Saturday, Feb. 8 from the Winthrop-King Centre in Rome, Ga.
 
Though Shorter scored the first bucket of the game, Mike Washington quickly answered for DSU and the Statesmen led for about the next eight minutes. The Hawks made a surge halfway through the first half but Delta State stifled that as Readus and Washington dominated in the paint.
 
The Statesmen kept it up from there and thanks to free throws from Zelvin Smith, Jr. with just 14 seconds before halftime, DSU took a 10-point, 41-31, lead into the break.
 
Delta State held SU to about 40 percent shooting in the first half, shooting 55 percent itself. The Hawks were only 15 percent from beyond the arc, hitting just 2 of 13 from 3-point range. The Statesmen outrebounded the home team 26-12.
 
Readus led the Statesmen in the opening half with 10 points. Jack Madgen hit a 3-pointer and put up seven points and Washington added six.  
The second half started off a bit scary for Delta State as Shorter went on an 8-0 run in the first two minutes and made it a one-possession game. A 3-pointer at the 15:02 mark for the Hawks tied the game 47-47, but the Statesmen responded and extended the score back to a semi-comfortable lead.
 
With 9:18 to play, Mike Weems hit a shot from 3-point land, making the score 65-52. The Statesmen held on to the lead for the rest of the second half, with the largest lead being 14 points at the 2:36 mark.
 
Shooting an even 50 percent in the second half, and holding Shorter to 40 percent, the Delta State men beat the Hawks 83-74.
  Not normally quiet for long, freshman Devin Schmidt scored 11 points in the second half to lead DSU, shooting 5 of 6 from the floor. The Statesmen once again outrebounded SU, 23-15 in the closing half, in total 49-27 on the night.
 
Overall, Readus scored 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Madgen hit two 3-pointers and totaled 14 points and eight assists for Delta State. Schmidt finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Senior Cornel Knight added 11 points. Washington had nine points and seven rebounds. Weems put up eight points and Smith had seven.
 
The Statesmen finished shooting 53 percent from the field, 55 percent from 3-point range and 74 percent at the foul line. Shorter shot 39 percent from the floor and 23 percent from beyond the arc, making just 6 of 26.
 
Delta State gets just two days to take a breather. Gulf South Conference rival Christian Brothers University will be in town at Walter Sillers Coliseum in Cleveland on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Two days after that, Lee University comes to town on Thursday, Feb. 13. Both of those games tip at approximately 7:30 p.m.