CLEVELAND — After trailing by six at the half, the Delta State men’s basketball team regrouped for a strong second half, outscoring Valdosta State 35-25 en route to a 72-68 victory Thursday night.

Devin Schmidt led the Statesmen in scoring, going 11-of-17 from the field and sinking two free throws to finish with 24 points.

Willie Readus tallied a double-double for Delta State, pulling down 17 rebounds and scoring 19 points for the Statesmen.

The Statesmen beat Valdosta in the paint, as Delta State scored 42 points down low compared to Valdosta’s 22 points.

Valdosta State shot 51.61 percent from the field in the first half, taking a 43-37 lead into the break. But the Statesmen’s defense limited Valdosta State to 8-of-29 in shooting in the second half.

Valdosta State was led in scoring by Jalen Crawford, who finished with 17 points. Jeremy McKay added 15 points and David Murray had 14 points.

Delta State (15-2, 8-1) will return to action Saturday at the University of West Florida.