JACKSON, Tenn. - The No. 14 Union University women's basketball team posted a 59-51 win over No. 22 Delta State (Miss.) University Thursday night at Fred DeLay Gymnasium. Union improved to 18-2 on the season and 12-2 in the Gulf South Conference. Delta State dropped to 14-3 overall and 11-3 in league play. 

The win for Union broke a tie for first place in the GSC standings with eight games left in the regular season.

Union scored first on a basket from Tiara Caldwell. The first four baskets for Union came from four different players as Union jumped out to a 8-0 lead. Kelsey Risner answered her jumper with a 3-pointer and Union led 11-0 to start the game. Delta State finally got on the board with a jumper from Anissa Jackson with 1:55 left in the first quarter. DSU closed the quarter on a 6-1 run to cut the Union lead to 12-6 at the end of the quarter. 

Caldwell again started the quarter with basket for Union, but Delta State continued their rally started late in the first quarter. The Lady Statesmen took their first lead of the game, 15-14, with 6:29 left in the half. DSU led by as many as four points in the quarter, before Union cut the halftime deficit to 24-22. 

For the third straight quarter, Union's Caldwell scored the first basket and gave Union a 25-24 lead after she completed her 3-point play at the free throw line. The two teams swapped leads for the rest of the quarter before Union grabbed a 40-36 lead at the end of the third quarter. 

This time, DSU scored first, tying the game at 40-40 early in the fourth quarter. Union took another 4-point lead, but Delta State rallied to tie the game again at 46-46. Union's Caldwell continued her dominate play giving Union the lead for good with a layup on the next possession with 4:14 left in the game. Caldwell scored 18 second half points. Union pushed their lead to as many as nine points in the final minute before taking the 59-51 win. 

Union dominated the glass, out rebounding Delta State 43-26, including 12-5 on the offensive glass. 

Caldwell led Union with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field. She was also 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Risner finished with a double-double including 10 points and 16 rebounds. Union shot just 37 percent from the field and made just 3-of-12 three pointers (25%) against the nation's No. 1 ranked defensive squad. Union hit 74 percent (20-27) of their free throws. 

Delta State was led by Chelsey Rhodes with 21 points and Jackson with nine points. The Lady Statesmen shot 37 percent from the field, 22 percent (4-18) from long range and all three of their free throws. 

Up next for Union is the second of four straight home games when Union's hosts Mississippi College Saturday at 2 p.m. 

-UNION-