STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Junior Devin Schmidt's 31 points led a furious Delta State University second half comeback that fell short at Tarleton State, 80-71, on Wednesday night at Wisdom Gym.


Inside the Matchup

• Score:  Texans 80, Statesmen 71
• Records: Delta State (2-1) | No. 2/3 Tarleton State (3-0)
• Series: TSU leads series 2-1
• Location: Wisdom Gym | Stephenville, Texas | 7:30 p.m.
   
  How It Happened

• The Statesmen suffered a scoring drought that lasted 3:43 to open the game, quickly falling behind the Texans 7-0.
• Devin Schmidt ignited the offense with a layup and was proceeded with 3-pointers from Zelvin Smith, Terry Morris, and Jack Madgen, putting Delta State within one, 12-11, at the 12:01 mark.
• Tarleton State's offense burst to life, reeling off a 12-2 run that spanned 2:50 to go up 24-13 with 9:11 left in the first half. 
• The Texans used that momentum to take a 38-20 lead into the locker room at halftime. DSU never led in the first half.
• Tarleton State grabbed its biggest lead, 40-20, with 19:15 to go, and seemed have the game well in hand.
• Delta State came out of the locker room and scored nine points, all courtesy of Schmidt, on two 3-pointers and three free throws. Smith's bucket from downtown and Morris' layup notched the score at 45-34 with 14:11 to go in the contest.
• Jack Madgen's 3-pointer at the 6:53 mark cut the deficit to single digits, 62-53.
• Schmidt's fifth 3-pointer of the night came with 1:58 left on the clock, cutting the lead to 72-64.
• The Green-and-White went 7-of-9 from the field in the closing 4:32, but the momentum and advantage stayed with Tarleton, as the Texans held on to win 80-71.

 
Notables

• Four Statesmen contributed double-figures against TSU. The last time at least four players scored in double-figures was Feb. 12, 2015 against Alabama Huntsville, where five Statesmen recorded double-digit outputs. Morris, a 6-foot-1 guard, set a career-high with 14 points.
• Schmidt was the driving force behind DSU's furious second-half rally, finishing the night with a game-high 31 points after being held to just six points in the first half. The Sevierville, Tenn., native is now 11th on Delta State's all-time scoring list with 1,194. He passed Mark Easly (1982-85) and needs 25 points to break into the top 10.
• After producing a low-scoring 20-point performance in the first half, the Statesmen outscored Tarleton 51-42 in the second-half.
   

Game Changer

• A foul-plagued game for Delta State allowed TSU to go 26-of-36 from the free throw line.

 
Who's Next

• Delta State opens up at Walter Sillers Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 21 against Johnson University (Tenn.). Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m.