Lady Senators overcome slow start, down Motlow State 81-40

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — Walters State's women got off to a slow start Wednesday night but that was all the Lady Senators did wrong on their way to an 81-40 pounding of Motlow State at 'Z' Buda Gymnasium.

Coach Dave Kragel's team trailed by a point with under three minutes left in the first quarter, but scored the final five points of the quarter and first eight of the second. From there it was just a matter of what the final margin was going to be.

The Lady Senators are now 4-2 for the season and improved to 3-0 in Tennessee Community College Athletic Association play. It was their 20th straight league triumph and 168th in the last 169 games.

Walters State used a balanced scoring attack that saw four players in double figures. Vertonia Bady led the way with 17 points and Haley Comer added 14 as she hit four three-pointers. Paris Mullins chipped in 11 and Jamya Rogers had 10.

Motlow State got 13 from Nya Caruthers in falling to 1-7 and 0-3 in the conference.

Kragel said, "This was a good win for us. Motlow has lost all its league games but they had been playing people close.

 "As for us, we're just trying to learn how to play," he added. "I thought we were very stagnant at the beginning of the game. We didn't handle the ball very well and didn't get much done."

The coach continued, "Our biggest problem is that our kids don't remember everything. It's like we're trying to get them in the right places. But once we get them in the right places, things go pretty good.

 "But it was a good win and now we have to go back on the road." The Lady Senators will be back in action on Saturday at Dyersburg State.

Walters State connected on 32-of-62 from the floor for 51.6 percent including 6-of-20 three-point attempts. The Lady Bucks managed only 14-of-46 for 30.4 percent and actually shot better behind the arc on 6-of-18.

The home team controlled the backboards, 31-19, as Paris Mullins pulled down 10 rebounds.

Motlow got a three-pointer from Caruthers and a bucket from Kevanika Brown to grab a 5-2 lead as the Lady Senators went almost five minutes without a basket.

Bady finally hit a field goal for the home team and Quentarra Mitchell hit a layup off a pass from Alexis Trice for the first Walters State lead. Tanisia Murphy threw in a running one-hander for the Lady Bucks with 2:52 left in the initial stanza but that was the last time Motlow would score until the 7:28 mark of the second frame.

During that stretch, Mitchell scored again for Walters State and then Kiera Hill converted an old-fashioned three-point play and Blayre Shultz hit two charity tosses for a 13-7 lead a the first break.

Rogers scored to start the second before Comer knocked down consecutive three-pointers for a 21-7 lead. The margin grew to 29-12 with 1:59 left in the half before Motlow had its biggest run of the game with eight straight points on threes by Caruthers and Kursten Hawkins and another bucket by Caruthers.

However, Hill had another three-point play and Shultz hit a fast break layup before intermission to restore the lead to 34-20.

Walters State opened the third on an 11-2 streak and led by 50-27 at the last rest stop.

Bady had a pair of baskets and hit two free throws to spark the Lady Senators' nine-point run to start the fourth period and they were still pulling away at the final buzzer.

NEXT UP

The Lady Senators hit the road for a Saturday TCCAA match up with Dyersburg State. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.