CLEVELAND, Miss - Looking to build on a 71-53 win against Union (Tenn.) University in their last Gulf South Conference game, the Delta State University men's basketball team is set to travel to Auburn University at Montgomery and the University of West Georgia for a pair of GSC contests before the holiday break.
| STATESMEN GAME DAY INFO |
|
| Date |
Dec. 16: DSU vs. Auburn Montgomery
Dec. 18: DSU vs. West Georgia |
| Tip-Off Location/Time |
Dec. 16: AUM Athletics Complex - 4 P.M.
Dec. 18: The Coliseum - 5 P.M. |
| Series History/Last Meeting |
- AUM: DSU leads series 2-1
- 2.13.1997 | L, 79-70
- UWG: DSU leads series 26-20
- 2.25.2017 | L, 88-79 |
| Audio/Video |
Dec. 16: Listen & Watch Here
Dec. 18: Listen & Watch Here |
| Live Stats |
Dec. 16: Follow Here
Dec. 18: Follow Here |
| Game Notes |
Delta State vs. UAM/UWG |
ABOUT DELTA STATE:
- DAVIS POWERING THE STATESMEN: Senior and hometown product PJ Davis has been reliable on both ends of the floor for the Statesmen this season for head coach Jim Boone. Davis has scored 19 or more points four times this season, including three of the last four game, and tallied a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Delta State's loss to Bethel last time out. On the defensive end, Davis is second in the GSC with 2.0 blocks per game, and had a season-high six blocks against Central Baptist.
- BENFORD DOING IT ALL: Junior transfer Armon Benford has done a little bit of everything to this point in the season. The Chicago, Ill. native and South Suburban CC product is averaging 6.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.8 steals while running the show for the Green-and-White. Benford went for a career-high 11 points against Bethel in his last game.
- WARNER LEADS THE SCORING: Junior Brett Warner, a Collierville, Tenn. native, leads all DSU scorers at 15.0 points per game. Warner is adding 2.2 rebounds per game and 1.8 assists per game, and is shooting 31.7% from downtown and 81% from the free throw line.
ABOUT AUBURN MONTGOMERY:
- DERAMUS CARRYING THE LOAD FOR THE WARHAWKS: Desmond Deramus leads the way for the Auburn Montgomery Warhawks, averaging 16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Deramus has played all 40 minutes in four games this season, and is averaging 38.1 minutes per game for Auburn Montgomery.
- DERAMUS, TAYLOR, JAMES-CORE PUSHING THE PACE: Deramus, Darrion Taylor and Lafayette James-Core team up to lead the Warhawks offense. Deramus scores 16.9 per game, and Taylor scores 10.8 points per game and dishes out 2.4 assists per game while knocking down 41.7% of his three-point shots. James-Core is adding 10.1 points per game in just over 17 minutes per night for coach Michael Cheaney.
- WARHAWKS WINNERS LAST TIME OUT AGAINST DSU: Auburn Montgomery came away with a 79-70 win against Delta State on Feb. 13, 1997 the last time the two teams squared off. The Statesmen and the Warhawks have only played three times in each program's history, with Delta State owning a 2-1 series edge. DSU won 71-70 at Walter Sillers Coliseum on Nov. 25, 1994, and then won again at Sillers 80-53 on Jan. 18, 1997.
ABOUT WEST GEORGIA:
- STATESMEN, WOLVES SPLIT LAST YEAR: Delta State won the first meeting last season between the two schools, 73-60, at Walter Sillers Coliseum, to snap a five-game losing skid to UWG dating back to Feb.6, 2014. West Georgia got revenge in Carrollton, however, as they knocked off DSU 88-79 on Feb. 25. The two schools will meet for the 47th time on Monday evening, with Delta State owning the 26-20 series edge.
- FOUR-GAME SKID: After starting the season 3-0, the Wolves have lost their last four games, dropping a 91-86 contest against Morehouse College that started the slide. After scoring 86 points or more in their first four games, the offense has struggled as of late, putting up 68 points in a loss against Johnson C. Smith, 66 points in a loss at Shorter and just 52 points in a loss at Lee University.
- MARQUILL SMITH LEADS THE PACK: Junior Marquill Smith is the leading scorer for UWG, averaging 20.3 points per game. The University of San Francisco transfer adds 8.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.2 steals per game for head coach Michael Cooney. Smith averaged 25.8 points in the first four games of the season, but has averaged just 9.5 points since then, including missing UWG's GSC opener at Shorter.
UP NEXT:
Delta State will break for the Christmas holiday, resuming basketball action at Walter Sillers Coliseum on Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 7:30 p.m. against Alabama Huntsville. The Statesmen then host North Alabama on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
