CLEVELAND, Miss. – Despite going into Saturday's game undefeated against the Statesmen under current head coach Nick Woodruff and seeing its last loss versus Delta State in 2017, a conference contest can never be described as an easy task for the West Alabama men's basketball team.
The Gulf South Conference is one of the most competitive conferences in NCAA Division II. It was never more evident than it was Saturday afternoon inside the Walter Sillers Coliseum in Cleveland, Miss.
The Statesmen overcame a 15-point deficit to defeat the Tigers, 62-55, ending the UWA's five-game winning streak.
With the loss, West Alabama falls to 6-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. Delta State improves to 3-5 on the season and 2-0 in the GSC.
Against DSU, four Tigers saw scoring in the double-digits. Robert Davis led the pack with 13 points and three rebounds. Kortrijk Miles added 11 with 10 rebounds, and Shardarrion Allen and Te Smith had 10 points each. Allen also tied Miles for a game-high of 10 boards.
As a unit, West Alabama hit 22 of 59 (37.3%) from the floor, including 5 of 18 (27.8%) from beyond the arc. The Tigers added 6 of 11 (54.5%) in free throws at the line.
Delta State sank 21 of 44 (47.7%) from the field, with 9 of 23 (39.1%) in three-point range. The Statesmen also saw 11 of 15 (73.3%) at the line. Airen Brooks led DSU's offense with 16 points and six rebounds.
The Tigers won the tip-off, but little was done with the first possession. A full four minutes ticked off the clock before Delta State scored the first basket to lead UWA 2-0.
Seconds later, West Alabama answered with Allen sinking a jumper to tie the game at two with 16:43 remaining in the first half.
After the initial jitters of a slow start wore off, the Tigers went on a 12-2 run, jumping ahead of Delta State 16-4 with 12:18 left in the period. Miles was 4-for-5 at the line with a layup to account for six of the 16 points in the run.
The Statesmen's four-minute scoring drought ended with back-to-back free throws from Bryson Hall, cutting West Alabama's lead to 16-6.
Brice Martin entered the game for the Tigers and scored his first points of the game, allowing the Tigers to regain their 12-point cushion at 18-6 with 10:58 on the clock.
West Alabama had trouble controlling the ball in the middle of the half and saw four turnovers in four minutes. Delta State scored seven points from those Tiger miscues and trimmed UWA's lead to 25-16 with 5:26 left in the period.
West Alabama did not allow the short run by Delta State to last long. Kavan Hill and Davis put down three's to give the Tigers a 31-16 advantage with just over four minutes left before the break.
In the time remaining, UWA allowed DSU to score 7 points while putting up just four of its own to take the half 35-23.
It was another slow start to score in the opening minutes of the second half. Delta State grabbed the first points with a 3-point jumper by Brooks in the 17-minute mark.
UWA answered as Smith added two, but Brooks scored an additional three on DSU's next possession for a score of 37-29 with 16:57 left in the game.
The run of luck for the Statesmen's continued as they mounted a 15-8 scoring run to get within one of the West Alabama lead at 45-44 with 8:28 remaining on the clock.
A free throw by Lee Cotton tied the game, and two minutes later, a layup by Maalik Cartwright gave Delta State its first lead since the opening minutes, 49-47.
The Statesmen remained ahead of the Tigers, closing the game on a 13-8 run, for the 62-55 victory.
West Alabama returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 7, hosting Tennessee Southern inside Pruitt Hall Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
To stay connected with the UWA Men's basketball team, follow @UWA_basketball on Twitter. General athletic news, along with game recaps and box scores, can be found at uwaathletics.com. Additional updates and information are available @UWAAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
