CLEVELAND, Miss. – Kirstin Brown's career-high 22 points, including eight in overtime, carried the Delta State University women's basketball team to an 81-80 victory over the University of West Alabama on Thursday, Nov. 29 at Walter Sillers Coliseum. The freshman from Tanner, Ala., finished the night 7-of-16 from the floor and 8-of-8 at the free throw line.
 
Nia Johnson (14), Alondrea Rush (13) and Jordan LeNoir (13) joined Brown in double figures. J'nyiah Daniels led UWA with 16 points.  

THE BASICS:
Score:  Delta State 81 | West Alabama 80
Records: Lady Statesmen 4-2, 1-0 GSC | Lady Tigers 3-5, 0-1 GSC
Series: DSU leads 50-8
Location | Time:  Walter Sillers Coliseum | 5:30 PM
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HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Lady Statesmen jumped out to an early 14-5 lead at the 4:56 mark of the first quarter. Kirsten Brown paced DSU with four points.
• Delta State controlled play for the remainder of the opening quarter, as the Lady Statesmen built a 24-12 advantage. Nia Johnson led all scorers and the Lady Statesmen with eight points.
• West Alabama had cut the DSU lead to six, 26-20, with an 8-2 run to start the second quarter. J'nyiah Daniels had six of the Lady Tigers points during the stretch.
• Jordan LeNoir's deep 3-pointer with 2:54 remaining in the half extended DSU's lead back to seven points, 29-22, and ended a 3:23 scoring drought.
• The Lady Statesmen ended the half with a 31-26 lead over UWA. Both teams shot an identical 12-of-30 from the floor (40 percent) and connected on two 3-pointers, but DSU was 5-of-5 from the free throw line while UWA was 0-for-5.  
• After a back-and-forth start to the third quarter, UWA's Bria Dent cut the DSU lead to four, 45-41, with 4:52 to go in the period.
• McKenzie Parker's second 3-pointer of the third quarter made it a three-point game, 47-44, with 4:17 remaining in the third.
• Brown answered back with a jumper in the paint, but a Jala Williams traditional three-point play cut the DSU lead to two, 49-47.
• The Lady Tigers tied the game at 49-49 on Chloe Culpepper's jump hook in the lane with 2:07 left in the third.
• Williams gave the Lady Tigers their first lead of the night, 53-52, on a 18-foot jumper with 56 seconds remaining in the third.
• UWA built a four-point lead, 56-52, at the 7:25 mark of the fourth after holding the Lady Statesmen scoreless for 3:55 between the end of the third and the start of the final period.
• Frederica Haywood's rebound and put-back ended a 9:24 field goal drought for the Lady Statesmen. The basket cut the UWA lead to two, 60-58, with 4:36 to play.
• UWA built its biggest lead of the night, six points, on Daniels' 3-pointer with 3:14 to go.
• In the final 18.3 seconds, DSU's Alondrea Rush nailed a 3-pointer and handed-out the game-tying assist on Johnson's bucket with 8.0 seconds left in the game.
• Emesha Chatman's block on Daniels' jumper in the lane sent the game into overtime tied at 67-67.
• In overtime, the Lady Statesmen found their stride behind Brown's eight points and three rounds to claim an 81-80 win over the Lady Tigers.         

TURNING POINT

• After trailing for much of the fourth quarter, the Lady Statesmen erased a five-point deficit in the final 18.3 seconds to force overtime.

 
STAT OF THE GAME

• The Lady Statesmen were 24-of-30 at the free throw line, including 7-of-8 down the stretch.  

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Delta State's 81 points were the most scored by the Lady Statesmen since putting 77 on Mississippi College on Dec. 1, 2016.
• Rush, who ranks fourth in career 3-pointers made with 175, became the 37^th Lady Statesman to score 1,000 career points on a 3-pointer with 18.3 seconds remaining accomplish the feat.
• The Lady Statesmen claimed their 50^th win all-time against West Alabama.
• Delta State owns an all-time record of 1,149-316-1, including 408 wins in Gulf South Conference play since 1984-85.
• Coach. Craig Roden, who owns a 567-496 career record, collected his 370^th GSC victory. The Guntersville, Ala., native ranks second in career GSC victories, trailing former Lady Statesmen head coach Lloyd Clark with 495.       

UP NEXT

• The Lady Statesmen will host the Lady Falcons of the University of Montevallo on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Walter Sillers Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. Any fan bringing a new, unwrapped toy to the game will receive free admission.