CLEVELAND, Miss. – Three players turned in double-doubles, led by Justin Slocum's 24 points and 17 rebounds, as the Delta State University men's basketball team defeated No. 9-ranked Valdosta State University, 88-83, on Saturday, Jan. 12 at Walter Sillers Coliseum. The Statesmen (11-4, 7-1 GSC) earned their sixth straight Gulf South Conference victory with the win and took control of first place in the league standings. Brett Warner (22), Cedric Harper (14), and Armon Benford (10) joined Slocum in double figures.
 
Beau Justice led all scorers and VSU with 28 points. 

THE BASICS:
Score:  Delta State 88 | Valdosta State 83
Records: Statesmen 11-4, 7-1 GSC | Blazers 13-3, 6-2 GSC
Series: DSU leads 25-21
Location | Time: Sillers Coliseum | 4 PM
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HOW IT HAPPENED

• After Rasheide Bell put the Statesmen up 2-0, the Blazers exploded for eight-straight points to take an 8-2 lead with 17:49 remaining in the first half.
• Field goals by Cedric Harper, Armon Benford and Justin Slocum cut the deficit to two, 10-8, with 16:09 to play in the frame.
• Winston Morgan's 3-pointer and a pair of field goals by Bryce Smith helped the Blazers build a 17-10 lead with 14:35 to go.
• A 7-2 run by the Statesmen over the next 2:18 made it a two-point game, 23-21, with 10:58 on the clock. Harper had four of DSU's seven during the stretch.
• VSU used 3-pointers from Keshawn Ingram and Clay Guillozet to extend its lead to 31-23 with 7:22 to play in the half.
• Buckets by Slocum and Benford cut the lead to four for the Blazers, 31-27, with 6:34 to go.
• The Blazers answered with a 6-2 run to extend the lead to eight, 37-29.
• A Slocum jump hook, a Matthew Wilson 3-pointer and a pair of Brett Warner free throws made it a one-point game, 37-36, with 3:09 left in the half.
• Warner's corner 3-pointer gave the Statesmen their first lead since 2-0, 42-41, with 1:06 to go.
• Bell ended the half for the Statesmen, who outscored the Blazers 15-4 over the final 4:49, with a turnaround jumper in the lane to give Delta State the 44-41 lead heading into the locker room.
• Both teams shot 50 percent or better in the first half, with DSU hitting on 19-of-38 shots and VSU 16-of-31. The Blazers were 5-of-13 from 3-point range with the Statesmen making 4-of-7.  
• The Statesmen out-rebounded the Blazers 24-12 and used that margin to score 15 second chance points to VSU's zero.
• Slocum, who also had 10 rebounds, and Warner both led DSU with 10 points apiece. VSU was led by Morgan's 13.    
• Beau Justice, VSU's leading scorer at 21.6 point per game, scored the first six points of the second half for the Blazers, but the Statesmen maintained the lead, 48-47, with 18:22 to play.
• A quick four from Slocum, two from Harper and a breakaway lay-up from Warner gave the Statesmen a nine-point lead, 56-47, with 15:29 to go.
• Back-to-back 3-pointers from VSU's Justice and Ingram ended the Blazers' scoring drought and made the DSU lead three, 56-53, with 14:53 on the clock.
• The Statesmen came right back with an 8-2 run, keyed by Warner's 3-pointer and three from Slocum, to extend the lead back to nine, 64-55, with 12:46 to go.
• Cameron Burkett's 22-footer with 8:39 to play gave the Statesmen their largest lead of the game, 72-59.
• Justice's fast break lay-up capped a 5-0 run for the Blazers, cutting the DSU lead to 72-64 with 7:22 to play. The field goal ended a 3:31 field goal drought for VSU.
• With 2:02 to go, the Statesmen held an 81-76 lead.
• VSU kept climbing back into the contest, as Justice completed the traditional three-point play to make it a one possession game, 81-79, with 1:29 to play.
• After Warner made 1-of-2 free throws to put the Statesmen back up three, 82-79, Justice nailed an 18-foot jumper to make it 82-81 with 44.9 seconds remaining.
• A missed VSU jumper led to a breakaway dunk by Harper with 38 seconds left to put DSU back up three, 84-81.
• The Statesmen iced the game at the free throw line, making 4-of-6, to claim an 88-83 victory.           

TURNING POINT

• Delta State outscored Valdosta State 15-4 over the final 4:49 of the first half to take a 44-41 lead at halftime. The Statesmen would never surrender that advantage.

 
STAT OF THE GAME

• The Statesmen out-rebounded the Blazers 48-23, leading to 26 second chance points.  

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Slocum, a junior from Macon, Ga., turned in his second-straight double-double and the third of the campaign with a career-high 24 points and 17 rebounds.
• Harper, a senior from Tallahassee, Fla., closed the night with 14 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks. It was his third of the year.
• Warner's 22 points moved him past Mark Easley, who scored 1,188 points from 1982-1985, into 13^th on the career scoring list with 1,215 points. The senior from Collierville, Tenn., made 4-of-10 attempts from 3-point range to extend his career 3-pointers made mark to 171. The four-year starter needs three 3-pointers made to move past Brad Longino, who made 174 from 1990-1993). His 10 attempts moved him into second place all-time past Twentis Magee, who attempted 481 3-pointers from 1995-1998.
• Bell scored 12 points on the night while Benford turned in a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

UP NEXT

• Delta State travels to Jackson, Tenn., on Thursday, Jan. 17, as the Statesmen face Union University. Tipoff is set for 7:30 PM at Fred Delay Gym. Philip Tang will have the call on the Statesmen Sports Network (WMJW 107.5 FM) starting at 7:15 PM.