Box Score MEMPHIS—After trailing by as many as 17 points in the second half, the Christian Brothers University Lady Bucs pulled within 10 points of visiting Delta State twice, but the Lady Statesmen held on for a 57-44 victory Saturday afternoon to remain in a tie for first place in the Gulf South Conference.

The Lady Statesmen (13-4, 6-1 GSC) never trailed, building a 10-2 lead in the first three minutes and never allowing the Lady Bucs (5-14, 2-5) closer than three points again.  The Lady Statesmen used an 11-1 run bridging the halftime gap to open a 35-19 lead just after halftime on a pair of Veronica Walker free throws, and they eventually extended their lead to 17 points twice, last on a Brooke Rhodes triple that gave them a 48-31 edge with 9:49 remaining.

The Lady Bucs responded with a 7-0 burst to cut the deficit to 48-38 on a Jessica Green (Memphis, Tenn./Lausanne HS) jumper, then 50-40 on a Jasmine Ellis (Memphis, Tenn./Central HS) layup with 4:07 remaining, but DSU used a Shelby Ann Davis three-pointer and four free throws to extend their lead to the final 57-44 margin.

Ellis paced the Lady Bucs with 11 points, while Aramis Judson (Bristow, Va./Stonewall Jackson HS) and Sarah Combs (Bradford, Tenn./Bradford HS) scored seven each.  Amber Williams (Memphis, Tenn./White Station HS) recorded team-highs of five rebounds and four blocks.

Walker led DSU with 15 points to go with nine rebounds.  Rhodes scored 14, and Denesha Henderson grabbed a game-high 10 boards, including eight offensive rebounds, to go with 11 points.

The Lady Bucs shot 35.7 percent (15-of-42) to DSU's 35.3 percent (18-of-51), but DSU used a commanding 40-25 rebound edge, including a 15-5 margin in offensive boards, to offset their low percentage.  Each team committed 18 turnovers.

The Lady Bucs open the second half of the GSC schedule at home against West Florida Thursday night at 5 p.m.