CLEVELAND, Miss - After having a four-game win streak snapped in a pair of road losses to Valdosta State and West Florida, the Delta State University men's basketball team returns home to Walter Sillers Coliseum to welcome Montevallo and West Alabama for two important Gulf South Conference matchups.
| STATESMEN GAME DAY INFO |
|
| Date |
Jan. 13: DSU vs. Montevallo
Jan. 15: DSU vs. West Alabama |
| Tip-Off Location/Time |
Jan. 13: Walter Sillers Coliseum - 4 P.M.
Jan. 15: Walter Sillers Coliseum - 7:30 P.M. |
| Series History/Last Meeting |
- Montevallo: DSU leads series 11-1
- 12.13.2008 | DSU W, 89-79
- UWA: DSU leads series 43-27
- 2.23.2017 | DSU W, 72-67 |
| Audio/Video |
Jan. 13 vs. UM: Listen/Watch Here
Jan. 15 vs. UWA: Listen/Watch Here |
| Live Stats |
Jan. 13: Follow Here
Jan. 15: Follow Here |
| Game Notes |
Delta State vs. Montevallo/UWA |
ABOUT DELTA STATE:
- DAVIS DOING HIS PART: Senior forward PJ Davis continues to be an essential part of Delta State's offensive and defensive game plans. The Cleveland, Miss. native is averaging 15.1 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. Davis leads the team in rebounding (101 total - 38 Off., 63 Def.) and blocks (27), and ranks second in the GSC in blocks per game (1.7).
- CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Davis ranks 15th all-time in scoring, tallying 1,086 career points in his career. He is 66 points away from passing his father, Jon Paul Davis, Sr., who ranks 14th all-time in DSU history with 1,151 points (1990-1994). Davis has climbed into the top 10 in school history in rebounding, as he sits in 10th with 656 career rebounds. He needs 15 rebounds to pass Keith Gardner (670) for 9th place all-time. Davis has played in every game of his Delta State career to this point, totaling 107 games played and 55 starts. He is tied with Eric Hite (1988-1991) for 10th place in games played at 107, and trails Charlie Lowe, who played in 111 games from 1987-1991, for ninth place.
- BENFORD CONTINUES TO RUN THE SHOW: Junior transfer Armon Benford has been an essential part of the attack for Delta State. Running the offense at point guard, the Chicago, Ill. native is averaging 6.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Benford has tallied six games of at least five points, five rebounds, and five assists, including 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists at West Florida.
ABOUT MONTEVALLO:
- TAYLOR, WILLIAMS TAKING FLIGHT FOR MONTEVALLO: Jamaar Taylor and Chris Williams lead the way for the Falcons, who sit at 8-8 overall on the season. Taylor, a 6-4 guard and Milwaukee, Wisconsin native, is averaging 24.6 points per game in 11 games, and has added 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Taylor scored a season-high 40 points in Montevallo's 139-135 triple overtime loss to Valdosta State. Williams, a 6-2 guard from Denver, Colorado, is averaging 16.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals on the year.
- FALCONS REJOINING GSC: Montevallo joins the Gulf South Conference after membership in the Peach Belt Conference. The Falcons went 17-10 and 19-10 in the last two seasons in the PBC, and are three years removed from a 26-10 mark and a 17-2 record in conference play that season.
- MONTEVALLO WINNERS OF TWO IN A ROW: The Falcons come into their tilt with Delta State having won their last two games, a 68-67 win over Lee and a 75-61 win over Shorter. The Falcons had lost four games in a row before picking up two conference wins, but have struggled on the road this season. Montevallo is just 1-3 on the road this year, and has losses in the non-conference schedule to Kentucky Wesleyan, Augustana, (S.D.), Claflin, and Benedict.
ABOUT WEST ALABAMA:
- TIGERS ENTER WEEKEND 11-5: West Alabama has won two of their last three games, and enter this weekend's slate of games with an 11-5 record and a 5-3 mark in GSC action. The Tigers lost by a combined 10 points at West Florida and Valdosta State, and have defeated Lee and Montevallo in their last two conference wins. The Tigers are comfortable at Walter Sillers Coliseum, having already played two games in Cleveland to open the season in the GSC/SSC Crossover Classic. UWA split those games, beating Florida Southern and falling against Eckerd.
- EATON SCORING AT WILL FOR UWA: Charles Eaton, a senior guard from Selma, Alabama, is averaging 28.6 points per game overall and 29.4 points per game in conference play, and has already racked up three GSC Player of the Week awards. Eaton helps the Tigers offense put up 82.3 points per contest, outscoring opponents by an average of 10 points per game. Eaton has scored 30 or more points seven times, and has scored 22 points or more in 15 of the team's 16 games this season.
- WEST ALABAMA LOOKS TO AVENGE LAST SEASON'S LOSSES: Delta State swept the Tigers last season in a pair of tight contests. The two teams were separated by just eight points, as the Tigers dropped a 57-54 contest in Cleveland on Jan. 9, and the Statesmen finished out the season sweep with a 72-67 win on Feb. 23 in Livingston, Ala.
UP NEXT:
After GSC contests with Montevallo and West Alabama, the Statesmen are on the road again in their last long road trip of the conference season. Delta State travels to Cleveland, Tenn. to take on Lee on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m., and then faces off against Shorter on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m.
