CLEVELAND, Miss. | The University of Alabama in Huntsville men's basketball team opened up conference play on Thursday night with a heartbreaking setback, falling 84-83 in overtime at Delta State. UAH slips to 7-3 (0-1 Gulf South Conference), while DSU improves to 2-5 (1-0 GSC).
 
The Chargers trailed by as many as 11 in the second half and were down four with 25 seconds left in regulation, but a Luke Burnett 3-pointer followed by DSU going 1-for-2 on the charity stripe on their ensuing possession had it a two-point game and the ball belonging to UAH. 
 
Max Shulman then would lay it up and in with 0.5 seconds on the clock to tie it, and the Chargers nearly won it in regulation as Jack Kostel stole the in-bounds pass at half-court, where he heaved it towards the goal for an attempt that would go in and then rim out to send the contest into overtime tied at 72-72.
 
The Statesmen would grab a quick five-point advantage less than a minute into the extra period, and though UAH would tie it on three separate occasions down the stretch, a DSU free throw with 2.4 seconds left would prove to be the difference maker in the 84-83 contest.
 
CJ Williamson would lead all scorers in the contest as he knocked down eight shots on his way to scoring 23, and it would be a double-double for the junior transfer as he also grabbed 11 rebounds.
 
Joining him in double figures in scoring were Burnett who scored 18 and Chaney Johnson who tallied 16 to go along with nine boards.
 
Kostel led UAH with five assists on the night.
 
UAH started the contest strong, scoring the game's first 12 points before the affair was even three minutes old, but the Statesmen would hold the visitors to just 12 more points the rest of the half on their way to erasing the deficit and taking a 29-24 lead into the locker room at the break.
 
Delta State's lead would grow to its largest of the night at 44-33 by the 14:03 mark of the second half, and the hosts would enjoy as much as a nine-point advantage later in the half before a 13-3 run for the Chargers punctuated by a Shulman 3-pointer gave UAH the lead at 66-65 with just under two minutes left in regulation.
 
The Chargers finished the night shooting 43.8 percent from the floor while holding DSU to a 42.4 percent shooting mark, and though the hosts would make 18 3-pointers to UAH's eight, the visitors enjoyed a wide 34-6 margin in points in the paint.
 
On the glass, the Statesmen enjoyed a slim 43-41 advantage. 
 
UAH will look to rebound when the road trip continues on Saturday at Mississippi College. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m.