FLORENCE, Alabama – The Delta State University Statesmen basketball team kept its postseason hopes alive with a 90-59 rout of the University of North Alabama on Tuesday at Flowers Hall in the opening round of the Gulf South Conference Tournament.

Inside the Matchup

• Score:  Statesmen 90, Lions 59
• Records: Delta State (19-10) | North Alabama (16-13)
• Series: Series tied 43-43
• Location: Flowers Hall | Florence, Ala. | 6 p.m.
   
  How It Happened
• Delta State opened the game on a 7-0 run until the 15.53 mark, with buckets from Jack Madgen, Declan Harrick and Brett Warner.
• Madgen notched the score at 22-10, DSU's largest lead of the half, with 11:01 left, when he drained two threes in three trips down the court.
• The Lions began to heat up when they scored six unanswered points over 3:08 to cut the deficit to 22-16 with 7:54 remaining in the half.
• North Alabama inched to within five, 28-23, with just over three minutes to go before a Madgen 3-pointer and a James Kilpatrick dunk put Delta State up 33-23.
• A pair of Dimario Jackson free throws had the halftime score 33-25 in favor of the Statesmen.
• Devin Schmidt's 3-pointer opened second-half action to extend Delta State's lead to 36-25 with 19:36 remaining on the clock.
• UNA cut the scoring margin to nine, 44-35, at the 13:43 mark on a Tavaras Tolliver layup.
• Delta State answered with an 11-2 run over 3:03, capped off by a PJ Davis dunk. The Statesmen took the 55-37 advantage with 10:51 to go in the game.
• From the 9:11 mark, DSU held a 20-plus point lead, including its largest lead of 32, 86-54, with 2:59 remaining on the game clock. North Alabama was never able to overcome the deficit, as the Statesmen went on to win 90-59.
  
  Notables
• Delta State made five 3-pointers in the first half. Jack Madgen was responsible for four.
• North Alabama entered the game averaging 86 points per game and shooting 43.7 percent from the field. DSU's defense held the Lions to a season-low 59 points and 29 percent shooting from the field. The Lions never led in the contest.
• Four Statesmen scored double figures, including two 20-point performers. Davis and Madgen led all scorers with 20 points apiece, while Schmidt added 17 and Zelvin Smith chipped in 11. Davis and Madgen doubled their season averages.
• All but two Statesmen that played scored at least three points.
• The Green-and-White only turned the ball over six times, the second lowest of the season.
   

Game Changer

• Delta State outshot North Alabama from the field 46 percent (29-of-63) to 29 percent (18-of-62).

 
Who's Next

• The Statesmen advance to the semifinals of the GSC Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama and will face the winner of No. 1 Alabama Huntsville/No. 8 Shorter. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at the Pete Hanna Center on the campus of Samford University.