GAME NOTES: Delta State at Lee/Shorter (1.9-11.16)CLEVELAND, Miss. - Delta State Univeristy women's basketball (10-1, 7-1 GSC) looks to take over sole possession of first place when the Lady Statesmen battle Gulf South Conference co-leader Lee University (10-3, 7-1 GSC) on Saturday at 1 p.m. (CST) in Cleveland, Tenn. The Lee game is the first of a two-game road trip that will see the Lady Statesmen travel to second-place Shorter University (9-3, 6-2 GSC) on Monday at 5 p.m. (CST) in Rome, Ga.
| LADY STATESMEN GAME DAY INFORMATION |
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| Date/Location | Jan. 9, 2016 | Walker Arena | Cleveland, Tenn.
Jan 11, 2016 | Winthrope-King Centre | Rome, Ga. |
| Tip-off Time | Lee - 1 p.m. (CST) | Shorter - 5 p.m. (CST) |
| Records | Lady Statesmen (10-1,7-1 GSC) | Lee (10-3, 7-1 GSC)
Shorter (9-3, 6-2 GSC) |
| Series History | DSU leads Lee 3-1 | DSU leads Shorter 7-0 |
| Audio | Statesmen Sports Network: Listen Here |
| Video | Lee: Watch Here
Shorter: Watch Here |
| Live Stats | Lee: Follow Here
Shorter: Follow Here |
TIP-OFFChelsey Rhodes scored 22 points and made 10-of-12 free throws to lead the Lady Statesmen to a 57-46 win over Alabama Huntsville (1.4.16). Mary Carol Davis added a career-high 13 points in the winning effort.
Delta State remained No. 22 in the latest WBCA USA Today Top 25 and is ranked 19th in the D2SIDA Media Poll.
The Lady Statesmen have been stingy defensively in GSC games, yielding 45.4 points per game and limiting opponents to 33.5 percent shooting overall and 22.6 percent from 3-point range. DSU has a plus-14.7 scoring margin and a plus-nine turnover margin. The Green-and-White limited North Alabama to a season low 25 percent shooting and Alabama Huntsville to 13 percent from behind the arc.
Three Lady Statesmen average double figures in GSC contests: Rhodes (19.9 ppg.), Becca Ruckes (11.1 ppg.), Aspriona Gilbert (10.1 ppg).
The Lady Statesmen lead the GSC and NCAA in scoring defense with 47.6 points allowed per game, while their 33.9 field goal percentage defense and 23.9 3-point field goal percentage defense leads the GSC and ranks 35th and 20th, respectively, in the nation. Delta State has limited 9-of-11 opponents to less than 37 percent shooting, while four opponents have been held under 30 percent.
Offensively, Delta State is shooting 41.8 percent (3rd GSC) from the floor and 76.5 percent from the charity stripe (2nd GSC/22nd NCAA).
Rhodes leads the GSC and ranks 23rd nationally with 19.5 points per game. Her 85 percent free throw percentage also leads the GSC. She is averaging 37.0 minutes per game, which is second in the GSC and eighth nationally, while her 2.5 steal per contest ranks third in the GSC.
Rhodes and Becca Ruckes are averaging a combined 30.6 of DSU's 60.6 points per game. Rhodes has scored in double figures in all 11 contests and 16 of her last 17 games, while Ruckes has put up double figures in 7-of-11 games this season.
Lee Leaders: #12 Erin Walsh (16.2 ppg.), #32 Carrie Cheeks (11.2 ppg./7.6 rpg.), #00 Haris Price (11.2 ppg./5.0 apg.)
Shorter Leaders: #22 Taylor Adams (16.1 ppg./11.0 rpg.), #10 Shakierya McClendon (9.5 ppg./2.5 apg.)
