HARRIMAN, TN – Walters State trailed by one with two minutes left on Wednesday evening against Roane State but could not get over the hump, falling to the Raiders 69-64.
With the loss, Walters State fell to 19-10 on the season and 11-6 in TCCAA play.
Micah Simpson was the leading scorer for Walters State with 18 points. Simpson made four 3-pointers and had three steals.
Along with Simpson, Michael Houge recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Other contributors for the Senators were Ty Hurst with 12 points and three rebounds, Destin Barker with 10 points and seven rebounds, Elijah Davis with two points, 10 assists, four rebounds and four steals, Saevion Brown with three points and three rebounds, Jaylen Wharton with two points and five rebounds and Malachi Hale with one point.
Defensively, the Senators forced 20 turnovers.
It was a slow start for Walters State as Roane State scored the first 10 points of the game. Simpson got the Senators on the board with a three, but the Senators played catch up the rest of the half as they trailed 28-24. Houge had eight points and nine rebounds in the opening 20 minutes while Simpson added six points.
Roane State quickly built their lead to 14 in the first five minutes of the second half before Walters State began to chip away. Trailing by 10, Simpson scored five quick points to make it 43-38. Roane State made two free throws, but Simpson dunked one and Houge made a jumper that cut it to three.
Roane State went back up eight with five minutes left, but Hurst made a free throw and Barker drained a 3-pointer. Simpson then made a layup to make it 58-56 before Roane State made a free throw to up the lead back to three. However, Wharton hit a jumper to cut it to one with two minutes to go.
Unfortunately for the Senators, they were outscored the rest of the way, 10-6.
In the second half, Simpson had 12 points while Houge and Hurst each added eight. Barker also had nine points and four rebounds.
Up Next:
Walters State will be back in action on Saturday as they host Jackson State on Sophomore Day. Tip is set for 4 p.m.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics