CLEVELAND, Miss. -- Quantesha Patterson and Nia Johnson combined to score 29 points in the second half, Craig Roden notched his 600th career victory as a collegiate head coach, and the Delta State University women's basketball team defeated the University of West Florida 71-67 on Thursday night at Walter Sillers Coliseum.

Lady Statesmen head coach Craig Roden, who earlier in the season became just the second coach in the history of the Gulf South Conference to reach the 400 win mark (joining former Lady Statesmen coach Lloyd Clark), also has the distinction of being the first GSC head women's basketball coach to collect 100 or more wins at three different league schools.

THE BASICS:

Score: Delta State 71 | West Florida 67
Records: Lady Statesmen (17-6, 10-6 GSC) | (Argonauts 7-18, 3-14 GSC)
Series: Delta State leads 15-13
Location | Time: Walter Sillers Coliseum | 5:30 PM
Get Social: Twitter - @DeltaStateWBB | Facebook – DSUStatesmen | Instagram – DSUAthletics

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• West Florida's Rachel McCree scored 10 of her team's first 12 points as the visitors sprinted out to a 12-2 lead at the 6:21 mark of the opening quarter.
• Five quick points from T'Kyra Hicks cut the deficit down to five, at 14-9, but the Argos outscored the Lady Statesmen 9-6 to close the quarter and take a 23-15 lead after one. 
• DSU outscored West Florida 13-2 in the first eight minutes of the second quarter to built a 28-25 lead, but the Argonauts used two three-pointers in the final minute to take a 31-28 halftime lead.
• A pair of Danielle Norquest three-pointers for the Argonauts just under two minutes into the third gave UWF a seven-point, 41-34 lead with 8:04 to go.
• The Lady Statesmen responded, however, using a 15-6 run to close the quarter as they carried a 49-47 lead into the game's final quarter.
• Both teams traded scores in the opening minutes of the final quarter, but five points on successive trips down the floor by Patterson put the Lady Statesmen up 58-55 with 5:15 left to play.
• Johnson took over in the game's closing minutes, scoring eight of the final 13 DSU points to put the game out of reach and hand West Florida the 71-67 loss.   

TURNING POINT:

• Nia Johnson took over down the stretch with West Florida hanging around. She scored eight of Delta State's final 13 points, including four free throws late to ice the game away, as part of a 22-point night. 16 of those 22 came in the second half for the Green-and-White.

STAT OF THE GAME:

• Delta State forced 14 West Florida turnovers and scored 22 points off of those turnovers. DSU also outscored UWF 42-18 in the paint. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Lady Statesmen head coach Craig Roden now has 600 career wins. The Guntersville, Ala., native also joined former Lady Statesmen head coach Lloyd Clark as the only other GSC women's basketball coach with 400 GSC wins in his career earlier in the season.
• West Florida tied a season-high in three-point field goals with eight. 
• Nia Johnson had 16 of her 22 points in the second half. 
• Patterson, after early foul trouble for DSU, scored all 13 of her points in the second half and added seven rebounds as well. 
• UWF was led by 20 points each from Rachel McCree and Charlotte Ellmore.  

UP NEXT:

• The Lady Statesmen host Valdosta State University on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. at Walter Sillers Coliseum.