CLEVELAND, Miss. – Matthew Wilson's career-high 23 points, 15 of which came in the second half, carried the Delta State University men's basketball team to a 90-62 victory over Bethel University on Monday, Dec. 10 at Walter Sillers Coliseum. Brett Warner (19), Justin Slocum (16), and Rasheide Bell (13) joined Wilson in double figures. The Statesmen outscored the Wildcats 58-27 in the second half after leading 34-33 at halftime.
 
Bethel was led by Isaac Edmondson's 12 points while Bradley Walker added 11 points and Cayden Edmonson finished with 10.  

THE BASICS:
Score:  Delta State 90 | Bethel 62
Records: Statesmen 5-3 | Wildcats 7-4
Series: DSU leads 16-8
Location | Time:  Sillers Coliseum | 7 PM
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HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bethel opened the game on a 9-0 run before Justin Slocum scored Delta State's first basket, an 8-foot jumper in the paint, with 15:45 to play in the first half.
• Foday Sankaray's old school 3-point play gave the Wildcats a 10-poinbt lead, 16-6, with 13:33 to go.
• Rasheide Bell's driving lay-up and free throw cut Bethel's lead to six, 20-14, with 9:15 to go in the first half. It was just DSU's fourth field goal of the game.
• Matthew Wilson's deep 3-pointer, DSU's first of the game, sliced the Wildcats lead once again to six, 23-17, with 7:16 on the clock.
• Back-to-back shots by the Statesmen, a 3-pointer from Wilson and a rebound and put-back from Slocum, cut the deficit to two, 25-23, with 4:34 to play in the half.
• BU answered with a 4-0 run to go back up by six, but DSU answered with their own 4-0 run with 3:42 to play.
• Slocum's 15-footer with 2:41 to go in the half tied the game at 29-29, and Warner's fast-break lay-in gave the Statesmen their first lead 31-29 with 2:20 remaining.
• After a lay-up from Isaac Edmondson for Bethel, Warner connected on three free throws to give the Statesmen a one-point half-time lead, 34-33.
• Warner and Slocum led DSU with 11 points apiece while Edmondson paced the Wildcats with eight.
• The Statesmen started the second half off like they ended the first, as Cedric Harper's jumper in the paint gave DSU a six-point lead, 41-35, at the 15:57 mark.
• Warner added to his point total with three more from the charity stripe to extend DSU's advantage to nine, 44-35, with 14:33 to go.
• Trailing 47-35 after a Warner 3-pointer, BU's Bradley Walker cut it to 10 with only their second field goal in the first 6:53 of the second half.
• Bell's three-point play put the Statesmen up 23, 65-42, with 9:47 to go.
• At the media timeout with 7:41 to play, the Statesmen led 69-45 over the Wildcats. DSU was 9-of-9 from the field during a near six-minute span.
• Braxton Nappier ended an 0-of-10 drought from the field over 6:29 for Bethel with a lay-up. The basket made it a 22-point game, as DSU led 70-48 with 6:31 to play.
• DSU outscored BU 20-14 over the remainder of the game for the 90-62 victory.

TURNING POINT

• Delta State took control of the game in the first 8:52 of the second half, holding Bethel to two field goals while building an 18-point lead.

 
STAT OF THE GAME

• The Statesmen shot a blistering 64.5 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from 3-point range (5-of-8) in the second half.  

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Wilson scored a career-best 23 points, connecting on 8-of-13 shots from the floor, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. The Farmerville, Ark., native's previous career-high came earlier this year with 21 points at Eckerd College.
• Warner finished the night with 19 points while Slocum added 16 points and Bell chipped in with 11.
• Cedric Harper just missed a double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds. The senior from Tallahassee, Fla., also recorded three blocks.
• Armon Benord just missed a triple-double with nine points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
• DSU's 90 points was a season best.
• Bethel is off to a 7-4 start and receiving votes in one of the national NAIA polls. The Wildcats had won three-straight coming into Monday's contest, averaging 109.3 points per game.
• Delta State entered the game ranked third in the GSC in scoring defense, allowing 67.1 points per game.   

UP NEXT

• Delta State travels to Clinton, Miss., on Saturday, Dec. 15 to take on archrival Mississippi College in Gulf South Conference play. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at A.E. Wood Coliseum. Philip Tang will have the call on the Statesmen Sports Network.