Box Score UNO-DSU Box Score
CLEVELAND, Miss. – On a night when neither team could connect from the charity stripe, Cornell Knight buried one from the line with 1.9 seconds left to lift Delta State past the University of New Orleans 53-52 on Thursday night.
A 59 percent shooter at the line this season, Knight scored 10 points highlighted by his made basket on the front end of a one-and-one for a DSU (6-19) squad that made 9 of 18 free throws against UNO (16-14). In comparison, the Privateers were 8 of 18 at the stripe – their second lowest effort of the season.
Head coach
Mark Slessinger's UNO squad put forth a strong defensive performance over the middle 20 minutes of the contest to rally from a 30-17 deficit with 7:34 remaining in the opening half.
The lone basket DSU scored until the end of the first half came on an Aaron Cooper 30-foot shot with 36 remaining. Until the Cooper basket, the Statesmen had missed three field goal attempts, four free throws and turned the ball over four times since their previous basket.
Despite the scoring woes, DSU was able to stake to a 33-27 lead heading into the half in large part due to 32.7 percent shooting by the Privateers over the first 20 minutes. UNO only had three turnovers in the opening half, which aided their efforts.
The Statesmen struggles offensively continued into the second half as the Privateers scored eight unanswered points to take a 35-33 on a
Brandon Knight lay-up with 17:01 left in the contest. The advantage was UNO's first of the game.
DSU gained the lead at 38-37 before
Antonio Wertz scored four of his 12 points during a 6-0 spurt that gave the Privateers' a five-point lead at 43-38 with 12:13 to go.
The Statesmen answered back to knot the game at 45 – one of the four ties in the final 6:30 of play.
Tied at 52 following a free throw by UNO's
Brandon Knight, the Statesmen worked the clock down to 1.9 seconds with Wertz being called for a foul setting up the game-winning free throw attempt.
The Privateers' last chance effort never came to pass as DSU completed an in-season split between the two teams after falling at Lakefront Arena last month.
Lovell Cook was the top scorer for UNO with 14 points as the team overcame a 32.7 percent effort from the field in the opening half to remain within reach of DSU. The Privateers forced 16 Statesmen turnovers while only having nine of their own .
Terry Leake led the Statesmen with 13 points with Arthur Jackson adding 11.
UNO will return to the Lakefront for their home finale against Champion Baptist on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will take place at the Human Performance Center with 'Senior Day' ceremonies honoring Wertz and Knight scheduled to occur approximately 10 minutes before tip.
