CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Delta State University men's basketball team shot 57 percent in the second half to defeat Shorter University 93-85, sending the Statesmen to the semifinals of the Gulf South Conference Tournament, on Tuesday night at Walter Sillers.
 
Inside the Matchup:
    Score: Delta State 93 | Shorter 85
    Records: Statesmen (22-7) | Hawks (17-12)
    Series: Delta State leads 7-4
    Location: Walter Sillers Coliseum | Cleveland, Miss.

How It Happened:

• Shorter opened the game going 4-of-6 from distance and two layups to have an early 16-10 advantage with 13:44 to go in the half.
• The Statesmen answered going on a 10-3 run to reclaim a 20-19 advantage.
• Damerit Brown sparked an 11-2 run to extend the Hawks back the lead, 32-24, with 8:07 left in the half.
• Up to the final five minutes, momentum shifted after a Ravion Henry layup ignited a 8-0 run to give the Statesmen the lead 38-36.
• After a pair of Devin Schmidt free throws to push Delta State back on top by one point, Damerit Brown closed out the half hitting both free throws to give Shorter the 43-42 lead at halftime.
• Delta State shot 16-of-33 (48.5 percent) from the floor in the first half, including 8-for-9 (88.9 percent) from the charity stripe. The Statesmen only hit two of their eight attempts from beyond the arc. Schmidt led the Statesmen with 19 points and four rebounds, while Warner and Henry tallied single-digits (six points apiece), Harper, Kilpatrick and Davis rounded it out with a combined 11 points.
• Shorter went 15-of-32 (46.9 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. Brown led the way with 15 points and three rebounds for SU. Mike Wickliff chipped in nine and Alijah Bennett had eight.
• The Statesmen opened up the second half going 5-for-7 from the field to reclaim the 53-52 lead over the Hawks with 15:59 remaining in the game.
• Both sides traded buckets with the lead changing four times in the span of almost two minutes, but a Schmidt jumper sparked a 8-0 run to give the Statesmen a 64-58 lead.
• Shorter answered, going on a 7-0 run to close the Statesmen lead by three points.
• Both teams battled back-and-forth late in the second half, but the Statesmen maintained an eight point lead after Brett Warner nailed a three with 3:18 left.
• The Hawks continued to climb back hitting back-to-back threes, but Delta State closed out the game on a 5-1 run to hold on for the victory.
• Delta State finished 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 37-of-70 (52.9 percent) from the field and 16-of-22 (72.7 percent) from the charity stripe, while going just 3-of-14 from distance. 
• Schmidt led the way for Delta State with 32 points, while Harper and Henry added 16 points each. Warner and Kilpatrick added 11 points apiece while Davis rounded it out with seven points for the Statesmen.
• Shorter was led by Phil Taylor, who had 26 points and three rebounds. Brown added 23 points and four rebounds for the Hawks. 

Notables:          

• Devin Schmidt needs 33 points to become the GSC all-time scoring leader. He also had six assists, giving him 502 for his career.
• The Statesmen committed a season low two turnovers, including none in the second half.
• Shorter is winless (0-5) at Walter Sillers Coliseum.
• The Statesmen are now 14-9 in opening round games in the GSC tournament.
• The Statesmen outscored Shorter in the paint 62-30.
• This is the first time all season Delta State has had five players finish in double-figures.

   
Who's Next:

• The Green-and-White head to Birmingham, Ala., for the Gulf South Conference Tournament semifinals against No.2 seeded Alabama Huntsville on Saturday, March 4 at a time to be determined.