CLEVELAND, Miss. – Delta State University men's basketball coach Jim Boone picked up his 450^th career win at the NCAA Division II level, as the Statesmen claimed a 77-68 win over the University of Montevallo in Gulf South Conference play on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Walter Sillers Coliseum. Rasheide Bell (20), Brett Warner (16) and Matthew Wilson (12) all scored in double figures for the Statesmen while De'marco Owens paced the Falcons with 13.   

THE BASICS:
Score:  Delta State 54 | Montevallo 62
Records: Statesmen 4-3, 1-1 GSC | Falcons 3-6, 0-2 GSC
Series: DSU leads 15-2
Location | Time:  Sillers Coliseum | 4 PM
Get Social: Twitter - @DeltaStateMBB | Facebook – DSUStatesmen | Instagram – DSUAthletics

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Matthew Wilson's corner 3-pointer gave the Statesmen an early 7-5 lead on the Falcons at the 15:19 media timeout.
• A D'Angelo Street jumper gave Montevallo a brief 11-9 lead at the 13:28 mark.
• The Statesmen answered with a 12-3 run to take a 21-14 lead with 7:23 left in the half. Wilson had five and Cedric Harper four during the stretch.
• With 4:24 to go in the half, Delta State led 31-16 after a pair of Bell free throws.
• Wade Lowman's rebound and put-back ended a 2:12 scoring drought for the Falcons and cut the deficit to 13 points, 31-18.
• Brett Warner's back-to-back 3-pointers gave the Statesmen 37-18 lead, their largest of the half, with 2:22 to play in the first.
• Wilson's jumper with 2.7 seconds on the clock put the Statesmen in the locker room with a 41-23 lead.
• DSU shot 58.3 percent (14-of-24) in the first half, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range. Wilson led the Statesmen with 10 points while Warner chipped in with nine. Bell and Harper had seven apiece.
• UM connected on just 29 percent of their shots from the floor in the opening half, making 9-of-31 and 3-of-12 from 3-point range. Cam Copeland led the Falcons with eight points.
• At the 15:58 media timeout in the second half, the Statesmen had built a 51-25 lead. Cameron Burkett and Warner fueled DSU's 10-2 run to start the second half.
• Kaleel Solomon's lay-up with 15:38 left in the half was Montevallo's first basket since the break.
• Delta State controlled play on both ends of the floor, extending its lead to 60-34 on Justin Slocum's jumper with 11:40 to play.
• Youmans' jumper at the 7:48 mark cut the Delta State advantage to 19, 64-45.
• Streeter's 3-pointer with 3:36 to play made it a 13-point game, as DSU maintained a 70-57 lead.
• UM closed the game on an 11-7 run to make the final margin nine points, as DSU claimed the 77-68 win.                

TURNING POINT

• Delta State took control of the game for good in the first 5:01 of the second half, building a 51-25 lead.

 
STAT OF THE GAME

• The Statesmen shot a blistering 61 percent from the field for the game, hitting on 25-of-41 attempts, including 8-of-16 from 3-point range.   

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Coach Jim Boone (543-404) earned his 450^th career victory at the NCAA Division II level. The Winfield, W.V., native ranks 15^th on the DII active career wins list with 543.  
• Bell scored a career-high 20 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor and 11-of-14 from the free throw line.
• Warner made 4-of-8 from 3-point range to push his career total to 156. The Collierville, Tenn., native ranks fifth on the Delta State career 3-pointers made chart. His 442 attempts are fourth all-time at DSU.
• Delta State entered the game ranked fifth in the GSC in scoring defense, allowing 68.0 points per game.
• Harper, who entered the game leading the GSC in blocks (10) and field goal percentage (70.3%), finished the night with eight points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks.
• Delta State leads the Gulf South Conference all-time with 800 league victories. Valdosta State is second with 595 followed by West Alabama with 579.   

UP NEXT

• Delta State returns to the hardwood on Saturday, Dec. 8, as the Statesmen host Selma University. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at Walter Sillers Coliseum.