MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — Walters State's Lady Senators came from behind in the final four minutes for an 85-79 victory over Dyersburg State Saturday afternoon at 'Z' Buda Gymnasium to hang on to its slender lead in the tight Tennessee Community College Athletic Association race.
It was the 11th league win against two losses for Coach Dave Kragel's club, which leads Cleveland State (9-2) by a half-game. Those two will battle for the lead on Wednesday in Cleveland.
Walters State trailed by as many as eight before pulling out its 14th win in 23 games. Dyersburg fell to 19-5 for the season and is 9-4 in conference action. Chattanooga State is in the thick of the chase at 9-3 while Jackson State is at 8-4.
Jamya Rogers poured in 25 points to lead the Lady Senators including 10 straight during the frantic fourth-quarter rally. Blayre Shultz added 18, Vertonia Bady scored a dozen and Alexis Trice chipped in 10.
The Lady Eagles' Kia Lowery took game scoring honors with 27. Morgan Terry made five three's and finished with 17, Caroline Singleton had 11 and Amaria Pugh 10.
Dyersburg led 61-57 with 8:42 to play, but Haley Comer hit a three and Rogers made a free throw to tie it. Rogers then scored inside to put Walters State ahead.
The lead changed hands three more times before Bady's basket put the Lady Senators in front for good at 71-70 with 3:58 remaining. Rogers added two charity tosses and Paris Mulls nailed a triple from the top of the circle for a five-point lead.
After the visitors cut it down to two, Trice hit a short jumper before Pugh's foul shot made it 79-76 with 20 seconds left. Walters State closed it out with four free throws and a basket by Akirona Steverson.
"That was a really good win for us against a really good basketball team," said Kragel. "They pressure you and make you work for everything you get. We were lucky to get out of here with a win today."
He added, "Jamya did a great job for us. When their big girl went out she had an advantage inside and took advantage of it. I thought Steverson did a good job for us. This was her first time playing point guard and it was against one of the best teams in the league.
"I really thought today was the first time this team actually finished an entire ball game. We got down and fought our way back into it and finished it off. I'll take this win and be happy with it."
The Lady Senators shot 50.8 percent from the floor by making good on 32 of 63 and made half of their 12 three-point tries. Dyersburg gunned through 13 of 31 from behind the arc and finished 24 of 58 for 41.4 percent.
Walters State had a 30-22 rebounding edge as Rogers grabbed seven. Sinetra Jones had eight for the Lady Eagles.
There were five ties and four lead changes in the first period and it was knotted at 18-18 at the first break.
The lead swapped hands five more times in the second stanza before Pugh hit two straight threes to put Dyersburg up 36-31. The lead ballooned to 41-33 before Shultz hit a triple and baskets by Steverson and Bady got the Senators within 45-42 at intermission.
Lowery hit a short jump shot and Terry popped in a trey for a 50-42 lead early in the third quarter and it was a 55-48 game when the home team got baskets from Emilee Swafford and Trice and a free throw by Mullins. Rogers then tied the game at 55.
Lowery's free throw put Dyersburg up 58-57 at the final stop and she hit a basket and another free throw for the 61-57 lead before Comer's trey started the Lady Senators' rally.
NEXT UP
The Lady Senators hit the road Wednesday night for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off against Cleveland State.