MORRISTOWN, TN – Walters State outscored Gaston College by eight points in the second half on Friday evening and forced overtime but could not find the win, falling 72-69.
With the loss, Walters State moved to 1-1 on the season.
The Senators were led by Elijah Davis who finished with 17 points and eight assists. Michael Houge added 12 points and 9 rebounds while Riley Cooper had eight points and six rebounds.
Along with those three, Ty Hurst and Bakari Johnson each had seven. Destin Barker totaled six points. Other scorers were Jaylen Wharton with five, Jay Hickman with three and Micah Simpson and Dustin Richmond each with two.
As a team, the Senators shot 49.1% from the field but were just 4-14 from 3-points range.
The two teams traded buckets to start the game with Houge opening up the scoring for Walters State. Houge gave Walters State the lead 4-2 with a dunk before the two teams were tied at four, six, eight and 10. The Senators took a little bit of control when Hickman hit a 3-pointer, Johnson made a layup and then a 3-pointer to make it 18-12.
However, the Senators went cold after that as Gaston tied the game at 22 and then scored seven straight to go up 29-22. Barker stopped the bleeding with a layup, but Gaston got up 10 before the half. A Davis layup with five seconds left made it 38-30 at the break.
Gaston rebuilt their lead to 11 early in the second half, but Houge went to work to get the Senators back in it. With the score 44-33, Houge completed an old-fashioned 3-point play before scoring four more to make it 45-40.
After trading buckets, Barker made two free throws before a Cooper layup made it a two-point game. With 8:49 left, Johnson tied the game at 50. The two teams were tied again at 52 and 54 before Davis gave Walters State the lead with a layup.
Gaston would eventually take the lead back and led 62-59 with 1:43 left when Wharton drilled a game-tying 3-pointer. Neither team could score after the three as Gaston missed two free throws with 22 seconds left. With the ball, Walters State had two shots at the end to win it in regulation but both fell short.
In overtime, Gaston scored the first four points before Hurst hit a jumper. Later, Hurst hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 68-67 with 21 seconds left. Gaston hit two free throws to go up three with 20 seconds to go. Davis made a layup to make it a one-point game but two free throws and a turnover sealed the win for Gaston.
Up Next:
Walters State closes out play in the Senators Tip Off Classic on Saturday, taking on Caldwell CC at 6 p.m.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics