Defensive effort shines in Walters State’s 60-36 win over No. 21 Chattanooga State

CHATTANOOGA, TN – Defense is the name of the game for a Walters State women's basketball team, and that mindset was very present on Wednesday evening.

Taking on No. 21 Chattanooga State, the Lady Senators held Chattanooga State to seven first quarter points and never looked back, going on for a 60-36 victory. 

With the win, Walters State improved to 7-2 overall and 5-0 in TCCAA play.

Morgan Williams and Anaya Mulholland-Natt led the charge on the defensive front for Walters State, both playing almost the entirety of the game. Along with that first quarter, the Lady Senators held Chattanooga State to five points in the fourth. 

"Happy with how we guarded tonight," Walters State coach Jasmin Coleman said. "We got into some foul trouble early but continued to fight our way through it. Proud of how Morgan and Anaya defended and kept their mind focused to defend. Morgan played 38 minutes and Anaya played all 40 and took care of the ball. We will turn around and play another tough one Saturday." 

On the scoring front, Kyra Perkins led the way with 17 points while Nyjah Gibbs had 11 points and Terryauna Griffin added 10. Other scores were Mulholland-Natt with seven, Williams with five, Raegan Starks with five, Alexis Hood with three and Jahliya McDonald with two.

Defensively, Walters State held Chattanooga State to 22% from the field, 6% from three and forced 26 turnovers. 

Chattanooga State broke out to a 5-4 lead midway through the first quarter, but Walters State took control with 16 straight points to go up 20-5. The run started with a Starks three, and Williams followed with a basket. Perkins then took over with seven straight points, before Mulholland-Natt hit a three. Gibbs capped off the run with a free throw, and Walters State led 20-7 after one quarter. 

In the second quarter, Griffin scored four straight and Gibbs scored to increase the lead to 28-10. The Lady Senators scored one final time in the quarter on a Mulholland-Natt basket and led 30-21 at the break.

In the third, each team scored 10 points as Walters State led 40-31 going to the final 10 minutes. During the quarter, Hood converted an and-one, Williams hit a three and McDonald and Gibbs both scored. 

The fourth quarter was all Walters State, as they scored 20 points and held Chattanooga State to five. The two teams traded buckets to start, but Walters State got multiple steals that led to easy buckets and a 12-0 run. Perkins had six points in the run, while Gibbs had four to make it 54-33.

From there, Walters State closed things out and picked up the ranked road win. 

Up Next:

Walters State will be back in action on Saturday, hosting Dyersburg State. Tip is set for 2 pm.