MORRISTOWN, TN – Ramondo Battle has been heating up over the past few weeks, and Saturday was no exception.

Taking on Columbia State, Battle scored 13 in the first half and finished with 20 points, as Walters State grabbed a 77-64 win over the Chargers.

With the win, Walters State improved to 20-1 overall and 11-1 in TCCAA play. 

"He's been playing well," Walters State coach Jerry Nichols said. "It's a sight to see, him just shooting the ball. He was known as a shooter coming out. It's good to see him hit some. He struggled early in the season, but he's found a rhythm now and is shooting well. We're going to need that moving forward."

As has been the case for most of the season, the Senators started the game slow, getting down 10-3, but battled back to end the half and exploded out of the gate in the second half to comfortably put themselves up 18 seven minutes in.   

"We've been kind of doing it all year," Nichols said. "I don't know what it is about our team in regards to the slow start. Columbia State plays a different brand, and I think it does take time to get used to what they do. They play a different brand than what we've played the past four weeks. In the first half, we didn't handle it well but in the second half we calmed down and made the plays we needed to to win the game." 

Along with Battle, JR Jacobs had 12 points. Other scorers for Walters State were Greg Moore with nine, Jamar Livingston with seven, Jair Horton with seven, Micah Simpson with six, Charvez Ambrose with five, Jaylon Taylor with four, Jaylen Wharton with four and Malachi Hale with three. 

Taylor played a big factor for the Senators in the second half, entering the game and making a basket. Taylor then had a highlight reel block of a Columbia State dunk and then came down and made a basket while getting fouled. 

"I'm always preaching to those guys about being selfless, and tonight JT did that," Nichols said. "His minutes were much-needed. He gave us great minutes. We're going to continue to need that from him. When you're playing in a TCCAA Tournament, you're going to have to be deep. His minutes were vital. What he did today was incredible, and I am hoping to see that from him for the rest of the season." 

Hale got the Senators going to start the game with a three, but Columbia rallied off 10 straight to go up 10-3. Nichols called timeout, and Walters State responded with nine straight points to go up 12-10. Jacobs started the run with a basket, and Battle and Ambrose scored soon after. The run concluded with a deep 3-pointer by Battle. 

The two teams traded the lead after, with Columbia going back up 27-21 with seven minutes to go in the half. Walters State answered again with three free throws, an Ambrose basket and another deep Battle 3-pointer that gave the Senators a 29-27 lead. 

Columbia State grabbed another lead at 32-30 and then tied the game at 33, but that was the last time they challenged as Walters State closed the half with a Moore three, Jacobs three and two Moore free throws to give them a 41-34 advantage. 

In the second half, Walters State attacked as Simpson and Livingston scored early. Walters State then got a steal and Simpson threw a pass off the backboard to Wharton, who slammed it home to make it 46-34. The lead grew from there as Walters State, at 51-41, went on an 8-0 run to make it an 18-point game. During the run, Simpson scored, Horton scored twice and Battle scored. 

From there, the Senators were never threatened as they took the win. Battle and Jacobs each had seven in the second half, while Simpson, Taylor, Horton and Moore all had four. 

"We held them to 64 points today," Nichols said. "To me, that's fantastic. We didn't shoot the ball the way we wanted to shoot the ball, and that's ok. It shows we can win games in different ways. I'm excited about that. Hopefully, we can just continue to do what we do." 

Up Next:

Walters State will be back in action on Wednesday, taking on Motlow State. The Bucks are the only team to have beaten the Senators this season. 

Tip is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics