GAME NOTES: West Florida/No. 9 Valdosta State @ Delta State (1.8-12.19)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - With the heart of the Gulf South Conference schedule rapidly approaching, the Delta State University men's basketball team returns to Walter Sillers Coliseum this week, as the Statesmen (9-4, 5-1 GSC) host the Argonauts of the University of West Florida on Thursday, Jan. 10 (7:30 pm) and the No. 9-ranked Blazers (12-2, 5-1 GSC) of Valdosta State University on Saturday, Jan. 12 (4 pm). Coach
Jim Boone and the Statesmen have won nine of their last 11 and six of their last seven. Both games will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network and streamed online at GoStatesmen.com.
Philip Tang will have the call.
Thursday's game versus the Argonauts is the 23rd all-time between Delta State and West Florida. The Statesmen, who lead the series 14-8, dropped a heartbreaking, 71-65, overtime loss in last year's GSC Championship game at the Pete Hannah Center on March 4, 2018 in the last meeting between the two teams.
Armon Benford turned in a double-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. DSU and UWF met once in the regular season last year with the Argos claiming a, 71-54, win in Pensacola.
Following Thursday's tilt with West Florida, Delta State welcomes No. 9-ranked Valdosta State University on Saturday, Jan. 12. Tipoff is set for 4 pm at Sillers Coliseum. The matchup is the 46th meeting between the clubs with DSU owning a slim 24-21 edge in the series standings. In last year's GSC Tournament semifinal, DSU upset top-seeded VSU, 63-59.
Delta State enjoyed its first major road swing of the GSC schedule, as the Statesmen defeated Shorter, 66-57, last Saturday, Jan. 5 in Rome, and throttled the University of West Georgia, 74-51, on Monday, Jan. 7 in Carrollton.
Brett Warner led all scorers with 18 points while
Justin Slocum (14 points) and
Armon Benford (10 points) narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds apiece in the win at SU.
Cedric Harper turned in a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead DSU over UWG.
Delta State enters the week ranked No. 2 in the GSC in scoring defense, as the Statesmen allow 62.5 points per game. The Statesmen have been particularly good in GSC play, holding West Alabama to just 62 points and Union to 57, which is 27 below its seasonal average. In Monday's win at UWG, DSU held the Wolves to a season-low 51 points, 24.6 below their average.
The Statesmen have won 10 of their last 12 games dating back to a 76-58 win over Fisk University on Nov. 15 at Sillers Coliseum.
INSIDE THE PAINT: @DELTASTATEMBB FAST FACTS
- Senior guard Brett Warner, a preseason All-GSC selection, comes into this week ranked seventh in the league in points per game (14.7). The Collierville, Tenn., native became the 18th player in DSU history to top 1,000 career points with his 22 point effort versus Fisk on Nov. 15, 2018 at Sillers Coliseum. He is currently 14th on the career scoring chart with 1,180 points. His 29 combined points in wins at Shorter (18) and West Georgia (11) pushed him past Jack Madgen on the career chart. He joins former All-American Devin Schmidt, DSU's all-time leading scorer with 2,594 points, and Jack Madgen (2012-16/1,163) to accomplish the feat under coach Jim Boone.
- Armon Benford enters the week averaging 8.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He ranks fourth in the GSC in assists per game and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Senior forward Cedric Harper, who turned in a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds at West Georgia, has owned the paint for the Statesmen and is on pace to set a new DSU record for career field goal percentage (70.4%). The Tallahassee, Fla., native currently leads the GSC in FG percentage (65.5%) and blocks (22) while averaging 10.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
- Senior guard Rasheide Bell continues to play well since joining the starting lineup. The Evansville, Ind., native is averaging 10.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this season.
- Matthew Wilson is currently ranked eighth in GSC in 3-pointers made per game (2.3) and ranks second in 3-point FG percentage (46.2%). The Farmington, Ark., native is averaging 10.9 points per game after scoring 13 points in Monday's 74-51 win at West Georgia. Earlier this year, he scored a career-high 23 in DSU's 90-62 win over Bethel.
- Justin Slocum has proven to be a major force on the glass, ranking ninth in the GSC in rebounds per game (6.8). The junior from Macon, Ga., is also averaging 10.5 points per game in 23.5 minutes of action. He scored 14 points and cleared nine rebounds in last week's win at Shorter.
- Cameron Burkett, a senior forward from Houston, Texas, is averaging 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. The former Bossier Parrish CC transfer scored a season-high eight points in DSU's 74-65 win at Mississippi College on Dec. 15 and cleared a career-best seven rebounds in Monday's win at UWG.
- Delta State enters the week as one of the GSC's toughest defensive teams, as the Statesmen lead the league in FG percentage defense (38.9%), while rankings third in blocks (39) and steals (101).
