CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Delta State University men's basketball team looks to bounce back from last weekend's 86-81 setback at the University of West Alabama with a three-game stretch in five days.
 
The Statesmen will start the three-game stretch with a road game tomorrow evening with a road trip to Jackson, Tenn., to take on the Bulldogs from Union University in a make up game from January 24^th. After tomorrow, the Statesmen will return to Walter Sillers Coliseum for a two-game home stretch against the Blazers from Valdosta State University Thursday night at approximately 7:30 p.m. (CT) followed by the Argonauts from the University of West Florida Saturday afternoon at approximately 4:00 p.m. (CT).
 
The Voice of the Statesmen, Michael Gross will be on the air giving you the live action on the Statesmen Sports Radio Network and all games will be streamed on the FloCollege network.
 
Scouting the Statesmen

• Delta State is looking to snap a three-game losing streak after falling to the no. 18 Tigers from West Alabama 86-81 last Saturday in Livingston. The Statesmen are currently 8-13 with a 5-11 record in conference play.
• Redshirt junior guard Dacory Porter had a great two-game road trip for the Statesmen last weekend in Alabama. The Jackson native averaged 25.5 points per game for Delta State including a Statesmen career-high 32 points against West Alabama Saturday afternoon.
• In Thursday night's game against UAH, Bryce Clayton posted 17 points, shooting 7/15 from the field. Freshman Elisha Puckett added a career-high 18 points off the bench as he shot 4-5 from beyond the arch. Thursday was Puckett's first double digit scoring night since November against Arkansas Monticello.

Scouting the Bulldogs

• Union enters a three-game home stretch with a 9-12 overall record and are 5-10 in Gulf South Conference play. Last weekend, the Bulldogs went to Montevallo and Auburn Montgomery and came out 1-1 with a 71-64 win Saturday in Montgomery against the Warhawks.
• Senior forward Terrance Ringo Jr. is entering this game with three consecutive double-double performances against CBU, Montevallo, and AUM. On the season Ringo Jr. is currently averaging 18.5 points per game and is pulling down 10 rebounds per game. Last time out, Ringo Jr. had a season-high 17 rebounds against AUM.
• Last time out, the Bulldogs played without junior guard Will Lovings-Watts. Lovings-Watts scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the Statesmen in December at Walter Sillers Coliseum.

Scouting the Blazers

• Valdosta State has been playing well as of recently. The Blazers enter this weekend with a three-game winning streak, holding a 14-8 overall record and are 9-7 in Gulf South Conference play. Last time out, the Blazers defeated Trevecca Nazarene 113-104 in OT in Valdosta last Saturday.
• Drew Mills has been the catalyst for the Blazers on the offensive end of the ball. The Baltimore native is VSU's leading scorer heading into this weekend, averaging 17.3 points per game and has blocked a team high 21 shots this season. Mills only played nine minutes against TNU this past Saturday as he battled foul trouble throughout the contest.
• Junior forward Blaise Wallace has been the best player on the floor for VSU for the past three weeks. The Tallahassee native has had a double-double in the past five games as he averages 13.1 points per game and has pulled down 9.1 rebounds per game. Last time out, Wallace scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds against the Trojans.

Scouting the Argonauts

• West Florida enters this weekend receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' National Poll. UWF holds an 18-6 overall record and is currently 11-5 in Gulf South Conference play. Last time out, the Argonauts defeated Lee 68-64 in Pensacola Saturday evening.
• With leading scorer in Anthony Igiede out since the beginning of January, the Argos have got a solid production in their backcourt from junior guard Aric Demings. The Desoto, Texas native averages 14 points per game and leads the team with 92 assists and 35 steals.
• In the front court, The Argos have relied on junior forward Tim Hall Jr. The Charlotte native averages 10.8 points per game is the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 8.1 rebounds per game, and leads UWF in blocked shots with 34 on the season.