CLEVELAND, Miss. – Nia Johnson (20) and Zyaire Ewing (17) combined to score 37 points to lead the Delta State University Women's Basketball team to a 66-57 victory over Barry University in the season-opener at Walter Sillers Coliseum on Friday, Nov. 8 in the Gulf South Conference-Sunshine State Conference Crossover. The Lady Statesmen (1-0) snapped a three-game losing streak to the Buccaneers (0-1).
 
Harriett Swindells led Barry with a game-high 21 points.       

THE BASICS:
Score: Delta State 66 | Barry 57
Records:  Lady Statesmen (1-0) | Buccaneers (0-1)
Series: Barry leads 3-2
Location | Time: Walter Sillers Coliseum | 7:30 PM
Get Social: Twitter - @DeltaStateWBB | Facebook – DSUStatesmen | Instagram – DSUAthletics

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Barry raced out to an early 8-0 lead and led 12-7 at the 4:20 media timeout of the 1^st quarter. Harriet Swindells of Barry led all scorers with seven points while Nia Johnson paced DSU with three.
• DSU struggled shooting the ball in the 1^st quarter, as Barry built a 10-point lead, 25-15, at the end of the period. The Lady Statesmen shot 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from the floor in the 1^st with the Buccaneers hitting on 55.6 percent (10-of-18).
• Barry held DSU scoreless for the first 2:02 of the 2^nd quarter, extending its lead to 12, 27-15. Johnson's driving lay-up ended the drought for the Lady Statesmen.
• Back-to-back baskets by Zyaire Ewing and Ernesha Chatman slashed the deficit to seven for DSU, 29-22, with 6:36 to play in the half.    
• DSU kept the pressure on Barry, as Ewing knocked down a pair of free throws and T'Kyra Hicks nailed an 18-foot jumper to make it a three-point game, 29-26.
• The Lady Statesmen tied the contest at 29-29 with 4:42 to play in the half, as Ewing converted the traditional 3-point play.
• Quantesha Patterson's pair of free throws gave DSU its first lead of the night, 31-29, at the 3:46 mark of the 2^nd half.
• Barry's Emma Hergot ended a 4:55 scoring drought and tied the game at, 31-31, with 2:58 left in the frame.
• Chatman's trio of free throws gave the Lady Statesmen a 34-31 lead at halftime. DSU finished the half shooting 41.7 percent (10-of-24) while holding Barry to 17.6 percent (3-of-17) in the 2^nd quarter and 37.1 percent for the half.
• Ewing led the Lady Statesmen with 10 points with Swindells pacing Barry with 10.
• Hergot's backdoor lay-up opened the 2^nd half scoring and cut the DSU lead to, 34-33, with 7:58 to play in the 3^rd quarter.
• Delta State maintained a 39-37 lead at the 4:49 media timeout of the 3^rd quarter.
• Kirstin Brown, Chatman and Patterson fueled an 8-4 run at the end of 3^rd quarter to lead 47-41 going into the final period.
• Eight-straight points from Barry's Swindells cut it to a one-point game, 50-49, with 6:26 to go.
• DSU answered right back with an 8-0 run, capped by Johnson's driving lay-up, extending the lead to 58-49 with 4:42 remaining in the game.
• The Lady Statesmen and the Buccaneers closed out the game scoring eight points each to make the final, 66-57.                            

 
TURNING POINT

• After trailing 25=15 at the end of the 1^st quarter, the Lady Statesmen outscored the Buccaneers 32-16 in the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters to get back into the game.

 
STAT OF THE GAME

• Delta State forced 23 turnovers leading to 19 points in the win.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Over 75 Lady Statesmen alumni and legendary head coach Lloyd Clark were in attendance at Friday's game to start their Homecoming Reunion.
• Patterson narrowly missed a double-double for the Lady Statesmen with eight points and 11 rebounds.
• Zyaire Ewing (F), Quantesha Patterson (F), Ernesha Chatman (G), Nia Johnson (G), and Aliyah Herod (G) were the first starting five for Delta State in 2019-20.
• The Lady Statesmen are picked fourth the Preseason GSC Coaches poll behind defending GSC Tournament Champion Lee University, Union University and West Florida.
• Seniors Nia Johnson and Quantesha Patterson were selected to the Preseason All-GSC Women's Basketball team. Johnson and Patterson earned All-GSC Second-Team honors in 2018-19.  Abby Bertram (Lee), Tazsa Garrett-Hammett (West Alabama), Haley Schubert (Lee) and Jada Smith (Union) join Patterson and Johnson on the team.

 
UP NEXT

• Delta State (1-0) hosts No. 15 Nova Southeastern (0-1), which lost to Union 77-56, on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 8 PM day two of the Gulf South Conference/Sunshine State Conference Crossover at Sillers Coliseum. Barry (0-1) faces Union (1-0) at 6 PM.