CLEVELAND – Delta State coach Sandra Rushing thanked all 13 of her players for the defensive effort in holding Southern Arkansas to under 40 points in a 63-39 rout Monday night at Walter Sillers Coliseum.

Junior college transfer and former Vicksburg Missy Gator Shalonda Williams saw limited action and is trying to find her place within the Lady Statesmen program. She played 13 minutes, all in the second half.

Williams was on the floor when the 18th ranked Lady Statesmen (14-1, 3-1) turned an eight-point lead into a commanding 17-point cushion in their Gulf South Conference contest with the Lady Muleriders.

Williams entered the game with 12 minutes, 53 seconds left, and DSU up 39-31. Jennifer Rushing quickly hit a 3-pointer to give the Lady Statesmen their first double-digit lead.

Williams later had an assist on a basket by Natalie Ellington to make it 50-33 with 6:24 left. Her free throw with 1:54 remaining gave DSU its biggest lead to that point, 61-36.

&#8220Defense has won a lot of games for us this year and it did again tonight. I was pleased with our team effort, from all 13 players,” Sandra Rushing said. &#8220We struggled in the first half on offense and then took control in the second half.”

For Williams, she was just glad to play after sitting out all of Thursday’s game against Arkansas-Monticello.

&#8220I just need to find my role, so I can get my chance to play,” Williams said. She took two shots, missed both, was 1-of-2 from the free throw line. She also grabbed three rebounds.

Defensively, she had to guard her former AAU teammate Kristina Gardner, who played on West Lauderdale’s back-to-back Class 3A runner-up teams.

&#8220We played on the same AAU team out of Jackson and then we played against each other in junior college with me at Holmes and her at Shelton State (Ala.),” Williams said.

On the men’s side, the Statesmen continued to roll with a 77-62 victory. Southern Miss transfer Jasper Johnson scored 24 points in the victory.