CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Delta State University women's basketball team claimed its third-straight Gulf South Conference victory on Saturday, Jan. 10, dowsing the Flames (8-4, 5-4GSC) of Lee University, 54-49, at Walter Sillers Coliseum. The Lady Statesmen (7-6, 5-4 GSC) were led by Chelsey Rhodes' 19 points, while Rhandi Ball narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 14 rebounds.
 
After the game, Delta State honored former Lady Statesmen head coach and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame member Lloyd Clark with the naming of the court in his honor. Clark coached 19 seasons at DSU, leading the Lady Statesmen to 10 GSC titles, three NCAA national championships and a 494-98 record.
 
Trailing by nine, 19-10, with 9:34 to play, the Lady Statesmen found a second gear and went on a 17-8 run over the final 9:12 of the half to make it 27-27 at the break. Chelsey Rhodes led the Lady Statesmen with nine points at the half, with all nine coming during the first half run.
 
Lee shot 44 percent in the first half, connecting on 12-of-27 shots from the floor, but went 0-of-9 from 3-point range. Shelby Brown led all scorers with 10 points in the half.
 
Delta State managed just 37 percent in the frame on 10-of-27 shooting from the floor. The Lady Statesmen were 2-of-8 from 3-point range and 5-of-8 from the line. Seneca Walton and Carly Keller added five points apiece for DSU.
 
After a pair of Rhodes free throws put the Lady Statesmen up 29-27 with 19:37 to play.
 
Lee's Emileigh Swafford's 3-pointer put the Flames back on top 30-29 on the next possession, but Rhandi Ball came back down the court and sank a pair of free throws to put DSU back up one, 31-30 with 18:34 to go.
 
Shelby Brown's hook shot off the backboard gave the Flames a 32-31 advantage and their last lead of the contest with 18:23 to play.
 
Walton's back-to-back lay-ups gave DSU the lead 35-32 with 16:12 remaining in the game and the Lady Statesmen with never trail again.
 
DSU built its largest lead, 50-41, on Becca Ruckes' driving lay-in with 4:32 to play.
 
The Lady Statesmen salted away the victory over the final four minutes for a 54-49 win, their third straight in GSC play.
 
The Lady Statesmen picked up the defensive intensity, holding the Flames to just 30.4 percent shooting on 7-of-23 attempts from the floor. That effort led to six second half turnovers by LU, which turned out to be a major factor in the final margin.
 
DSU also shot 30.8 percent in the second half, but did a good job of protecting the basketball with only four turnovers.
 
The Lady Statesmen finished the game shooting 34 percent (18-of-53) from the field and 26.7 percent from 3-point range. DSU was 14-of-22 at the line for 63.6 percent.
 
LU connected on 38 percent (19-of-50) for the game from the floor, but hit on just 3-of-21 attempts from 3-point range for 14.3 percent.
 
The two teams tied on the boards with 38 rebounds each, but DSU outscored LU 11-6 in points off turnovers down the stretch.
 
Rhodes finished with a game-high 19 points and three assists to pace Delta State. Ball just missed a double-double with nine points and a season-high 14 rebounds. Walton added 10 points and six boards.
 
Brown led LU with 12 points, 10 coming in the first half, and Carrie Cheeks contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in the loss.  
 
The Lady Statesmen return to the court on Monday, Jan. 12, as Delta State welcomes Shorter University to Walter Sillers Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network starting at 5:15 p.m. Philip Tang and Scott Wyant have the call.