CLEVELAND, Miss. - As time expired in the second half, Brett Warner hit the game-winning three with just seconds to go to give the Delta State University men's basketball team a 82-81 victory over Shorter University on Saturday evening at Walter Sillers.
 
Inside the Matchup:
    Score: Delta State 82 | Shorter 81
    Records: Statesmen (18-6, 13-5 GSC) | Hawks (15-9, 9-9 GSC)
    Series: Delta State leads 6-4
    Location: Walter Sillers Coliseum | Cleveland, Miss.

How It Happened:

• Both offenses bolted from tip-off after Phil Taylor hit a three from downtown and then Brett Warner answered with a three of his own.
• After the Hawks gained an early 7-3 lead, a layup by Warner sparked the Statesmen offense to tie it up at the 15:56 mark.
• Delta State claimed its first lead of the night after a Warner three to give the Statesmen a 13-12 lead.
• Shorter answered going on a 14-4 run and reclaiming the 29-20 lead late in the first half.
• Both offenses were back-and-forth for the remaining of the period with Shorter holding a commanding 45-31 lead as both teams went into the locker room.
• Delta State shot 12-of-29 (41 percent) from the floor in the first half, including 5-for-11 (46 percent) from the charity stripe. The Statesmen only hit two of their nine attempts from beyond the arc. Warner led the Statesmen with 10 points and three rebounds, while Schmidt and Henry tallied single-digits (seven points apiece), Harper rounded it out with four points and one rebound.
• Shorter went 16-of-30 (53 percent) from the field, including 9-for-16 (56 percent) from distance. The Hawks went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Phil Taylor led the way with 17 points and three rebounds for SU. Damerit Brown chipped in nine points and one rebound. 
• Kilpatrick sparked a DSU run coming out of the locker room, but Shorter continued its dominance locking down the Statesmen offense for over three minutes.
• Late in the second half, Brett Warner hit a trio of three-pointers, and DSU added a John Cornish three and a Harper layup to make it a 10-point deficit.
• The Statesmen held down the Hawks offense for a combination of over seven minutes late in the final half.
• At the 3:34 mark, Cedric Harper had a monster dunk to spark a 9-0 run and get the Statesmen back in it, down only two points.
• Taylor answered hitting a three pointer at the 38 second mark to get the Hawks back up to a five point advantage.
• Ravion Henry hit a pair of free throws and Warner nailed a layup to make it a one point game with 12 seconds left.
• Alijah Bennett knocked down his first free throw with seven seconds to go but missed the second and on the fast break Warner hit the game-winning three with seconds to go to clinch the 82-81 victory for the Statesmen.
• Delta State shot 32-for-62 for the game (51 percent), including going 10-of-25 (40 percent) from three-point range. DSU went 8-of-17 (71 percent) at the free throw line for the game. Shorter was 27-of-52 (52 percent) from the field and 14-of-28 (50 percent) from three point range, while going 13-for-16 at the free throw line. 
• Warner led the way for Delta State with 29 points, while Schmdit added 10 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals. Henry added 17 points, five rebounds and three assists, and Harper tallied 11 points for the Statesmen.
• Shorter was led by Phil Taylor, who had 38 points and five rebounds. Brown added 14 points and three rebounds for the Hawks. 

Notables:          

• The Statesmen outscored Shorter in the paint 28-16.
• Delta State's six-game win streak is its longest of the year. 
• This is the second time this year Delta State has won the game in the closing seconds.

   
Who's Next:

• The Green-and-White hit the road for a matchup against Union University on Feb. 16 in Jackson, Tenn. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. The Statesmen will then return home for the final home game against Christian Brothers on Feb. 18 at 4 p.m.