BIRMINGHAM, ALA. – The Delta State University men's basketball team fell 71-65 in the Gulf South Conference championship game in the only double overtime contest in the history of the league on Sunday evening at the Pete Hanna Center on the campus of Samford University.

THE BASICS:

    Score: #12 West Florida 71, Delta State 65
    Records: Statesmen (15-16, 11-9 GSC) | UWF (28-3, 17-3 GSC)
    Series: DSU leads 14-8
    Location | Time: Pete Hanna Center | 3:30 p.m.
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TURNING POINT:
 

• West Florida outscored Delta State 15-9 in the second overtime period, and went 25-for-37 from the free throw line as they outlasted the Statesmen to take home their first GSC tournament crown. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
 

• Armon Benford nearly tallied a triple-double, as he scored a career-high 16 points, grabbed a career best 14 rebounds and totaled eight assists.
• PJ Davis scored 20 points, marking the second straight game the senior reached that mark. 
• Brett Warner had 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists in support for the Statesmen.
• West Florida's Marvin Jones, who garnered tournament MOP honors, finished with 22 points. Moter Deng (21 points, 11 rebounds) added a double-double for the Argos. 
• Both teams grabbed 35 rebounds in the game, while Delta State outscored UWF 30-16 in the paint. 
• UWF forced 14 turnovers, and scored 17 points off of them. DSU forced 12 and scored 11 points off of those UWF turnovers. 
• Delta State was 28-for-62 (45 percent) from the field, and went just 2-for-9 from three point territory. DSU was 5-for-10 from the free throw line. 
• West Florida went 20-for-49 (41 percent) from the field and was 6-for-14 (43 percent) from three. The Argos went 25-for-37 from the free throw line (68 percent) as a team

INSIDE THE FLOW:
 

• A slow start plagued both teams, as West Florida led DSU 5-4 with 15:45 to play in the first half.
• Warner's three pointer at the 15:23 opened the floodgates, igniting an 18-3 run that as the Statesmen took a 22-8 lead with 9:10 left to go in the opening stanza.
• The Argonauts closed the final nine minutes of the first half with a 17-6 run to pull within three points, 28-25, at the halftime intermission.
• The Statesmen defense held the Argos scoreless from the 2:04 mark of the first half to the 10:45 mark of the second half.
• Delta State came charging out of the locker room, using an 11-1 spurt to take a 37-26 advantage with 17:11 to play. 
• With 15:24 to go and down a dozen, West Florida used a 15-2 run to take a 42-41 lead with 7:42 remaining.
• Both teams played the final six minutes of regulation within a pair of possessions of each other, and UWF erased a four-point deficit late on a Moter Deng three and a Dj Thorpe free throw to tie the game at 50-50 with 23 seconds to play. 
• Armon Benford's layup with less than five seconds left was blocked by Darryl Tucker, and the game went to overtime. 
• West Florida started the first overtime period with a 6-3 edge and lead 56-53 with 1:39 left.
• A Mitch Keller layup and a Benford free throw tied the game at 56-56, and Brett Warner's contested three fell short to send the game to a second overtime. 
• UWF got a 6-0 run by Moter Deng on a trip of jumpers, and scored their last seven points of the period from the free throw as the Argos captured their first GSC title 71-65.

NOTABLES:
 

• Brett Warner and PJ Davis each garnered All-GSC Tournament team honors.
• The double overtime contest marked the first time in GSC tournament history that a game went to a pair of overtimes. It was only the second overtime game in championship history. The other came in 1994, when North Alabama beat West Alabama 66-62.
• The Argos captured their first GSC tournament championship in school history.
• PJ Davis finishes his DSU career with 1,350 points. He ends up in 8th on the all-time scoring list and  finishes as DSU's career blocks record holder with 199. Davis has also etched himself into the GSC record books in that category, finishing his career third in league history in that category.
• Benford put up his first second double-double in as many nights, posting career highs with 16 points and 14 rebounds. He also added eight assists and put up at least five points, five rebounds and five assists for the 12th time this season.