CELVELAND, TN -- De'Marius Boyd dropped 38 points, 24 in the first half, as Walters State got off to a fast start and never looked back Saturday afternoon, taking down Cleveland State 76-55.
With the victory, Walters State improves to 11-4 on the season and 10-4 in conference play. The Senators have now won four straight games.
Walters State was led by Boyd who was unconscious in the game, with a career high 38 points on 15-26 shooting. Boyd outscored Cleveland State 24-22 in the first half.
Along with Boyd, Kajuan Hale had 16 points while Deovaunta Williams and Destin Barker each scored seven. Barker had 12 rebounds as well. The five starters for the Senators scored all but four points.
As a team, Walters State shot 47.5% from the field, knocking down 21-of-61 shots. The Senators pulled in 39 rebounds as well.
The Senators started off about as strong as they possibly could in the first half as Boyd made a shot, Tylar Haynes scored down low and Hale hit a 3-pointer that made it 7-2. Then, it was Boyd again making a layup and forcing a timeout.
The run did not stop there though as Barker made a layup to make it 11-2. Cleveland State finally stopped the run with a basket, but Boyd immediately answered with a 3-pointer. Boyd followed that up with a jump shot and the lead was 16-4.
From there, the Senators would only expand their lead even further as Boyd continued to take over. With 9:12 to go, Boyd and Hale hit back-to-back 3-pointers and it was 29-11. Boyd then made two baskets which put the lead at 20 points. Walters State led 42-22 at the half.
In the second half, Walters State came out strong once again with Hale hitting the opening shot. Hale then went on a run that made the score 50-25 before another run by Walters State, which was capped off by a Barker dunk, made it a 31-point game. From there, Cleveland State could never recover as the Senators continued to pour it on. Boyd led the way once again in the second half with 14 points while Hale had eight.
UP NEXT:
Walters State will be back in action Monday night when they take on Experience Academy for the second time this season. Tip is set for 6:30 p.m.
The Senators took on Experience in their first game of the season, taking them down 106-90.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics