GAME NOTES: Delta State at Christian Brothers (3.5.19)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Statesmen (16-11, 12-8 GSC) of Delta State University earned the No. 5 seed in the Gulf South Conference Men's Basketball Tournament for a second consecutive season and will open play on Tuesday, March 5 in Memphis, Tenn., at No. 4 seed Christian Brothers University (19-9, 14-6 GSC). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Canale Arena and the game will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network (WMJW 107.5 FM) and online at GoStatesmen.com. Philip Tang will have the call.     

Tuesday's Delta State at Christian Brothers clash marks the 32nd appearance and 11th consecutive, including seven in a row under Jim Boone, for the Statesmen in the Gulf South Conference Men's Basketball Tournament. The Statesmen are 31-26 all-time in the GSC Tournament and own league postseason records for appearances (32), victories (31), semifinals (21), finals (13) and championships (5).

The Delta State-Christian Brothers winner will play the victor between top-seed Valdosta State (23-5, 16-4 GSC) and Union (16-12, 11-9 GSC) in the GSC Tournament Semifinals in Birmingham, Ala., at the Pete Hannah Center. On the other side of the bracket, West Alabama (21-6, 16-4 GSC) is the No. 2 seed and will host No. 7 Lee (15-13, 12-8 GSC) while No. 3 seed Alabama Huntsville (22-6, 15-5 GSC) faces No. 6 West Georgia (17-11, 12-8 GSC).       

Tuesday's game versus the Bucs is the 101st all-time between Delta State and Christian Brothers. The series dates back to Jan. 15, 1957, a game the Statesmen won at CBU, 79-61. Delta State owns a 59-41 edge in the series standings, but CBU claimed wins in both regular season games against the Statesmen this year, winning 90-88 on Jan. 19, 2019 at Canale Arena in Memphis and 70-64 in the rematch on Feb. 7 at Sillers Coliseum. Despite the lengthy history between the two schools, the Statesmen and Bucs have only met once previously in the GSC Tournament, a 67-64 victory by CBU in the 2014 semifinals.

Coach Jim Boone and the Statesmen made a thrilling run to the 2018 GSC Tournament Championship game before falling to the West Florida, 71-65, in double overtime at the Pete Hannah Center in Birmingham, Ala. As the No. 5 seed in the event, Delta State stunned No. 4 Lee, 68-58, on the road before eliminating the top-seed and tournament favorite Valdosta State, 63-59, in the semifinals. Senior forward P.J. Davis and Brett Warner were named to the All-Tournament Team.

INSIDE THE PAINT: @DeltaStateMBB News & Notes

• Coach Jim Boone and the Statesmen are making their seventh consecutive appearance in the Gulf South Conference Tournament since the Wingfield, W.V., native took over the program in time for the 2012-2013 season. Boone is 5-5 in the GSC Tournament with two semifinals and one championship game appearance. The Statesmen fell 71-65 in double overtime in last year's title game to West Florida.
   
• Brett Warner has put together a phenomenal senior campaign, as the guard is averaging 14.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for the Statesmen. Warner passed P.J. Davis (2014-2018/1,350) for eighth on the career scoring list with 1,368 points after scoring 18 versus Mississippi College.
   
• Rasheide Bell, a senior guard from Evansville, Ind., enters the postseason averaging 12.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
   
• Senior guard Armon Benford is on the verge of cracking the career assists list at Delta State. The Chicago, Ill., native has 247 career assists and needs 11 more to join the top 10 in DSU's storied history. Benford topped 100 assists in a season for a second year in a row after handing out three at Montevallo.
   
• Junior forward Justin Slocum enters this week's game at Christian Brothers averaging 10.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He ranks sixth in the GSC in rebounding and second in FG% (55.0).
   
• Sophomore guard Matthew Wilson has proven to be one of the league's deadliest 3-point shooters, ranking 11th in the GSC in 3-pointers made per game (2.2). The Farmington, Ark., native is currently third on the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game.
   
• Senior center Cedric Harper is currently averaging 9.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
       
• The Statesmen enter the postseason ranked No. 21 in NCAA Division II in scoring defense (66.3 ppg). DSU is also holding opponents to 42.3 percent from the floor.