"Great game for us this afternoon," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said.  "The first half was kind of nip and tuck there and we got out of character because we started trying to match jump shot for jump shot and our goal was to go inside and use our height advantage against them.  As a result it was a tight game and they hit some big shots in the first half."
 
"In the second half we came out and did what we wanted to do and that was to take advantage of our size around the basket.  I thought we had good patience in our offense and I thought in our defense we got the first missed shot and we were able to put some pressure on them with our interior play and then kicking the ball out and we made some jump shots and I thought it was a good solid game for the Hornets."
 
The Hornets shot 51 percent from the field as Lewis and Waters had plenty of scoring help.  All five starters finished in double digits with DeMarcus Robinson scoring 15, Bobby Brown 13 and Maurice Strong 10.
 
"We wanted to run and even though we wanted to run we still wanted to go inside and I think we had 20 assists and that's good ball movement," Jackson said.  "What we were trying to get them to do was double inside and we could throw the ball back out.  We tried to run plays that would allow them to double and for us to get secondary action away from the ball and get kickouts.  We did that a lot, but the 20 assists was big for us which means they are moving the ball around and sharing the ball."
 
ASU (19-9) broke open a close four-point halftime score by scoring the first eight points of the second half and outscoring MVSU 21-7 during the first nine minutes opening up a 71-53 lead.  ASU went on to lead by as many as 26 points (90-64) after two Lewis free throws with 4:38 left in the game.  After those free throws the Hornets emptied the bench.
 
ASU also out rebounded the Delta Devils 50-33 with Strong completing a double-double with 13 rebounds to go along with his 10 points.  Lewis grabbed nine rebounds and Brown added five.
 
The Hornets did a good job of sharing the ball finishing with 20 assists.  It was the second time in the past three games ASU has finished with 20 or more assists.  Waters, Brown and Robinson finished with four assists each to lead the team.
 
Waters also scored his 1,000^th career point early in the second half.  He entered the game with 989 points and he scored his 11^th and 12^th points on a pull up jumper in the lane to give him the necessary points to put him over.  He scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half in becoming the 28th player in ASU history to reach the milestone.
 
"First of all I would like to congratulate Jamel," Jackson said.  "He's been a three-year starter for us, starting since he was a freshman and this is a result of the work he puts in.  He's a very hard worker, he's a competitor and he believes in what we are trying to get done.  To see him reach this milestone is good for him and I'm really proud of him and the things he's done and the success he's had here in this program."
 
MVSU (6-26) finished the game shooting 43 percent from the field and that includes knocking down 10 of its 18 three point field goals (56%).  Isaac Williams led MVSU with 19 points, 12 of which came on three pointers.  Jeffrey Williams finished with 15, but only three in the second half.  Jurmell Hall came off the bench to add 10.
 
The Hornets held MVSU to 36 percent shooting in the second half while out-scoring the Delta Devils 43-35.  ASU's 93 points is the most points since they scored 91 against Texas Pan American back on Nov. 28 in the Utah Tournament.  It is the second most points they have scored this season.  They scored 104 in the season-opening win over Auburn Montgomery on Nov. 14.
 
It was a high-scoring first half with the Hornets leading 50-46 going into the locker room.  The Hornets shot 51 percent from the field with Lewis leading ASU with 14 points and Robinson scoring 10.
 
Not to be outdone the Delta Devils shot 48 percent from the field.  Part of their offensive production came on three point field goals as they hit five of their seven attempts.  Williams had a game-high 16 in the first half with nine of those coming via the three point field goal.  Simmons added 12.
 
The Hornets will face the winner of the Southern/Alabama A&M which will be played Thursday, March 12 at 2:30 p.m.  That game will be played Friday March 13 at 2:30 p.m.
 
"It's a one-game season and so whoever wins the game we are going to play them.  There is no picking who we don't want to play we just want to make sure we are prepared for whoever we are playing whether it be Southern or A&M and we have to do a good job on both teams.  They are well coached and have good players and have solid programs.  So we have to be prepared for which ever one wins the ball game."