Final Box Score

LIVINGSTON, Ala. – In took an extra five minutes to decide the outcome of Saturday evenings Delta State-West Alabama men’s basketball game, with the Statesmen (5-2) walking away with a 75-68 win at Pruitt Hall.

UWA’s Jared Hembree hit a jumper, as time expired, to send the game into the extra session with a score of 64-64. The two points were part of his 10 on the night, as he was one of four Tigers in double figures.

Jenario Bunton led UWA (5-7) with 14 points, as Joe Eatmon came off the bench with 13 along with Raymond Shaw’s 13 points.

DSU’s Johnny Hodge led all scores with 25 points. Turmaine Rice added 16, as Josh Williams tacked on 11 points.

In what was a game of two different halves, Delta State posted 11 points in overtime, as UWA mustered only four points.

In the first half, Shaw gave UWA its first two points of the game and the early lead, but a trey from Rice answered the quick two points and gave the Statesmen its first, that they held for the first 10 minutes of the contest.

Hembree would give UWA its second lead of the game, on a three-pointer, with 9:23 remaining in the opening stanza, 15-13. The Tigers would hold the lead the remainder of the first half, getting up by as many as 13 points and entering up at the intermission 39-31.

The Tigers would start the second half just as DSU did the first half, but the Statesmen would chip away at the UWA lead and the tie game at 46 all with 12:39 remaining in regulation on a three-pointer from Rice.

Abdoulaye N’Diaye would give the Tigers back a brief lead on jumper, but the Statesmen would answer back with a trey from Chad Akins with 11:18 remaining in the second half.

UWA would fight back, tying the game on three different occasions coming down the stretch, including Hembree’s bucket at the end of regulation, but that is as close as the Tigers would come in the contest.

West Alabama returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 3, when the Tigers travel to Cleveland, Miss. to face Delta State. Tip-off is slated for 4:00 p.m.