LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama men's basketball team defeated the Statesmen of Delta State University 73-67 inside Pruitt Hall on Sunday.
Both teams went blow for blow in the first half, with one or the other never taking more than a single possession lead through the first nine and a half minutes of play. Caleb Allen tipped the scales in the Statesmen's favor with a jumper inside the paint at the 10:29 mark, giving Delta State a 17-13 lead.
Thadd Williams scored a triple to tie up the game at 18 with 7:08 to go, followed by three-point play to give UWA a 21-18 lead. Kuran Garner finished off West Alabama's first half scoring a jumper to tie up the game at 30.
The Tigers came out of the halftime break with a bang, going on a 6-0 run in the first 1:09.
The Statesmen responded with a quick 5-0 run of their own to retake the lead from the Tigers capped off by Derek Moore jumper with 10:50 to go in the second half to give Delta State the 51-47 lead.
Thadd Williams took over for the Tigers inside five minutes to go, scoring nine points in the twilight of the contest to boost West Alabama over the edge.
Jaylen Lemons put the final two nails in the coffin for Delta State with two free throws to give West Alabama a six-point lead with five seconds to go.
Thadd Williams put up a career high as a Tiger with 26 points on 7-of-9 shooting, 3-of-5 from 3-point land, and 9-for-10 from the charity stripe.
"Thadd was just unbelievable in this game. I'm so proud of him and the work he's put in as a player. From start to finish he was excellent," said Head Coach Nick Woodruff postgame.
The Statesmen did not go down without a fight from its preseason first team All-GSC selection Maalik Cartwright, who dropped 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field.
Kuran Garner registered his second straight game with 14 rebounds and added 12 points and five assists. Terry Durham added 15 points and six boards. CJ Melton contributed 11 points and six boards.
UWA hands Delta State its second straight road loss decided by seven points or less as Alabama Huntsville defeated the Statesmen by seven inside Spragins Hall on Friday night.
West Alabama moves up to 9-2 overall with a 6-1 GSC record. Delta State falls to 7-4 and 5-3.
The Tigers will hit the road at the start of 2024 to take on West Georgia on January 2 in Carrollton, Georgia. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT.
