CLEVELAND, Miss. – Senior guard Devin Schmidt scored his 2,000^th point and led the Delta State University men's basketball team with 28 points in a 77-66 victory over Central Baptist College in a non-conference matchup on Saturday afternoon at Walter Sillers Coliseum.

Inside the Matchup

• Score:  Delta State 77 | Central Baptist 66 
• Records: Statesmen (5-1) | Mustangs (4-4) 
• Series: This is the first meeting between the two schools
• Location: Walter Sillers Coliseum | Cleveland, Mississippi

How It Happened

• Sophomore Brett Warner got Delta State rolling on offense with a jumper and layup to start the first half. Senior James Kilpatrick extended the lead to 6-0 for the first two minutes.
• Both offenses were back-and-forth early in the first half. Schmidt hit an important layup and free throw making the score 11-7.
• At the 11:02 mark, the Mustangs claimed their only lead of the day (17-15) after a jumper from Stephen Ramsey.
• Jaden Weldon answered, hitting a clutch three to give the Statesmen a 18-17 lead.
• DSU went on a 9-0 run starting at the 9:09 mark till late in the first half.
• The Statesmen led the Mustangs 36-22 at halftime as both teams went into the locker room.
• Schmidt led DSU with 11 points and four assists while Warner recorded seven points and Kilpatrick wasn't far behind with six points in the opening half. Jaylyn McBride led CBC with eight first half points. DSU collected 26 first half boards, while CBC had 14.
• DSU shot 39 percent (13-of-33) from the floor in the first half, including 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
• CBC was 10-for-29 (35 percent) from the floor and 1-for-9 beyond the arc in the opening half.
• The Mustangs opened the second half on a 5-2 run to take close the gap to 11 points at the 19:06 mark.
• With 16:17 left in the second half, Delta State led Central Baptist by 42-27, the largest lead of the game.
• Central Baptist continued its run in the second half on a pair of free throws from Nick Jones, a jumper by McBride and a Stephen Ramsey three pointer.
• Schmidt and John Cornish hit back-to-back threes with less than 10 minutes to go in the game.
• Central Baptist made a late push in the second half, using an 11-6 run, but DSU iced it with three straight free throws.
• The Statesmen finished 28-of-64 (44 percent), including 14-of-19 from the free throw line, while Central Baptist was just 24-of-62 (39 percent) from the field.
• Schmidt led DSU with 28 points, while Davis finished second on the team with 12 while Cornish, Weldon and Kilpatrick finish with eight apiece. Kilpatrick led the team with nine assists and eight boards. Davis nearly collected a double-double, finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds. Ramsey and McBride led CBC with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Cedric Harper led DSU with a career-best five blocks.

 
Notables

• With his breakaway dunk in the first half, Schmidt became the sixth person in the Gulf South Conference to score 2,000 points.
• Harper's five blocks are the most since Davis recorded six last season against West Georgia (Jan. 23).
• The Statesmen have outrebounded their last four opponents and have at least forced 12 turnovers this season.

Who's Next
 
The Statesmen host Bethel University (Tenn.) on Thursday, Dec. 8 at Walter Sillers Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.