GAME NOTES: Delta State vs. Mississippi College (1.17.15)CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Statesmen basketball team of Delta State University will rekindle an in-state rivalry with Mississippi College on Saturday, Jan. 17 at A.E. Wood Coliseum in Clinton.
| STATESMEN GAME DAY INFORMATION |
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| Date/Location: | Jan. 17, 2015 | A.E. Wood Coliseum | Clinton, Miss. |
| Tipoff Time: | Mississippi College | 4:00 p.m. |
| Radio: | Statesmen Sports Network | Philip Tang (PxP) Scott Wyant (Color) |
| Series History: | 88th meeting with MC; Statesmen lead series 50-36-1 |
| Live Audio: | Listen Here |
| Live Stats: | Live Stats |
| Live Video: | Watch Here |
TIPOFF
The Statesmen basketball team of Delta State University extended their win streak to three with a 79-74 victory over the Shorter Hawks on Monday to improve to 10-6 on the season and 7-3 in Gulf South Conference play.
Sophomore
Devin Schmidt provided a 27-point performance against SU to lead the Statesmen in a crucial conference contest. With the win, Delta State is now tied for the top spot in the league with Alabama-Huntsville and West Georgia.
This week, a rivalry is rekindled with Mississippi College making its return to the GSC this year. Delta State will travel down to Clinton for a matchup with the Choctaws for the first time since 1996, almost two decades.
In their last meeting at A.E. Woods Coliseum, MC edged DSU 50-49 on Feb. 27, 1996. The series between the two squads dates back to Jan. 12, 1948 when Delta State won 55-33.
So far this season, the Statesmen have been privy to strong second-half play. In nine games, DSU has been behind or tied with its opponent at half time. In the same number of games, Delta State has outscored its adversary in the second half.
Schmidt is narrowing in on 800-career points. The guard currently holds 782 points in just a year and a half with the Statesmen and has dished out 204 assists. He ranks third in the league in scoring (17.7 ppg), fifth in assists (4.1 apg), and fifth in minutes (35.8 mpg).
Junior guard
Jack Madgen surpassed 800-career points against Shorter, scoring nine to stand at 807 career tallies. The Williamstown, Australia native went 1-for-3 from beyond the arc against the Hawks to move up in the DSU record books. He now ranks No. 4 in 3-pointer attempts (308) and No. 5 in 3-pointers made (127).
Cleveland native
PJ Davis continues to contribute to the success of the Statesmen coming in off the bench. The 6-foot-5 guard claimed his third GSC Freshman of the Week laurel for his performance against Huntsville, North Alabama, and Lee, putting up 28 points and bringing down 27 rebounds. Davis ranks fourth in the league in blocks at 60 total and 1.6 per game.
As a team, Delta State ranks third in NCAA Division II and first in the GSC in free-throw percentage at 78.6 percent.
Not only have the Statesmen excelled at the line, but they are also finding success on the perimeter. DSU owns the top spot in the conference for 3-point field goal percentage (42.0%) as well as 3-point field goal percentage defense (32.2%).
DSU ranks fourth in the GSC in field goal percentage defense (43.8%), third in blocks (60), and first in rebounding defense (30.4 rpg).
Up next for Delta State is a two-game road stint against West Alabama on Thursday, Jan. 22 and West Georgia on Saturday, Jan. 24.
