HUNTSVILLE | Malik Cook-Stroupe scored the team's first 17 points, and the No. 16 University of Alabama in Huntsville men's basketball team held on for an 83-81 win over visiting Delta State at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall on Thursday night. The Chargers improve to 15-3 (7-3 Gulf South Conference), while DSU falls to 7-11 (3-7 GSC).
 
Turning Point
-With the Statesmen leading 71-67, Sam Orf would hit a 3-pointer and two possessions later nail another to give the Chargers the lead for good in a game that featured a combined 33 made shots from beyond the arc.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Cook-Stroupe paced the Chargers with 24 points after going 8-for-16 from the floor including four 3-pointers, and for good measure he picked up a team-best four steals to go along with five rebounds and one assist.
-Also turning in a strong offensive night was Orf who went 7-for-13 from 3-point land on his way to scoring 21 while also handing out three assists.
-Seth Swalve scored 11 and had four assists, while JJ Kaplan turned in another double-double performance with 10 points and 11 rebounds while also leading the team with five assists.
-For the game, the Chargers shot 42.9 percent and made 16 3s, while Delta State connected on 45.2 percent of its attempts and hit 17 triples.
-DSU won the rebounding battle by a 44-35 margin.
-The Chargers turned it over just six times and forced the Statesmen into 17 to hold a key 18-10 edge in points off turnovers, and UAH also enjoyed a 13-7 advantage in second-chance points.
-UAH's reserves outscored Delta's by a 17-2 clip.
 
Inside the Flow
-Cook-Stroupe scored his first 17 in the game's first 5:27, but Delta State was also making shots, giving the Chargers just a 17-14 advantage at the 14:33 mark of the opening half.
-An 11-0 run for the hosts would provide the team with some cushion, however, as UAH went up 28-18 after a Kaplan layup fell with 9:10 remaining in the period, but after the margin grew to as many as 11, the Statesmen would close the half on a strong push to make it a 40-36 lead for the Blue and White at the half.
-DSU would eventually regain the lead in the second half, going up by five at 56-51 with 14:20 left in the game, and the lead would exchange hands five times until a pair of 3-pointers from Orf turned a four-point hole into a 73-71 lead with just under seven minutes left.
-UAH would not trail the rest of the way with Cook-Stroupe making a pair of key free throws with just seconds remaining to help the Chargers seal the win.
 
Noteworthy
-The 24 points for Cook-Stroupe represent a new career-high for the redshirt senior.
-The seven made 3-pointers for Orf are the most by a Charger since Tanner Finley had seven against Montevallo on Feb. 21 of last season and mark a new personal-best for the junior.
-UAH is now 9-0 when making at least 10 3-pointers.
 
Next Time Out
-The Chargers will be back at home on Saturday when Mississippi College visits. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.