LIVINGSTON, Alabama – Statesmen basketball of Delta State University knocked off defending National Champion Florida Southern, 77-63, to wrap up the GSC/SSC Showdown on Saturday.
Inside the Matchup- Score: Statesmen 77, Mocs 63
- Records: Delta State (2-0) | Florida Southern (0-2)
- Series: Florida Southern leads series 4-2
- Location: Pruitt Hall | Livingston, Ala. | 12 p.m. | GSC/SSC Showdown
How It Happened- The two squads traded possession of the lead through the opening 12:27. It wasn't until the 10:08 mark that DSU earned its first significant lead of the contest, 13-8, on a James Kilpatrick layup.
- Florida Southern regained the lead on a Joey Morlan 3-pointer, giving the Mocs the 18-17 advantage with 7:13 to go in the first half.
- Delta State quickly responded with a 5-0 run courtesy of a Brett Warner 3-pointer and a Terry Morris jumper to go up 22-18 with five minutes on the clock before the break.
- The Statesmen went into the locker room with the 29-24 lead.
- Out of the break, FSC came out firing in hopes of going ahead of the Statesmen. However, the two squads continued to trade baskets.
- DSU broke away with an 11-1 run to go up by 10, 46-36, with 12:50 remaining in the contest. The run was highlighted by a Zelvin Smith Jr. 3-pointer, two Devin Schmidt threes, and a PJ Davis dunk.
- The scoring margin stayed consistent in the closing minutes of the contest. DSU earned its biggest lead of the afternoon at the 3:38 mark, 68-53, on a Kilpatrick layup.
Notables- Two Statesmen contributed double-figures- Schmidt (24) and Davis (18). Schmidt has now scored double-figures in 16 straight games, dating back to last season. Davis, a 6-foot-6 forward tied his career-high with his 18-point performance against FSC on 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
- Three newcomers combined for 22 points in Morris (9), Kilpatrick (8) and Warner (5).
- With the win over FSC, Head Coach Jim Boone needs 16 wins to top 500 career victories.
- Schmidt is making strides toward career milestones. Schmidt, a junior guard, needs 56 points to break into the top-10 all time scoring list and 37 assists to eclipse 300 dishes.
- The win marks the second victory in six meetings for the Statesmen dating to 2002 in the NCAA South Region Tournament.
Game Changer- Delta State outshot Florida Southern 47.6 percent (30-of-63) from the field compared to the Mocs' 33.3 percent (24-of-72).
Who's Next- The Green-and-White travel to Stephenville, Texas, to take on No. 2/3 Tarleton State, a Final Four squad from last season. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
