MORRISTOWN, TN – Walters State grabbed a 13-point lead midway through the second half on Saturday afternoon against Vol State and hung on, taking the win 70-65.
With the victory, Walters State improved to 11-7 on the season and 4-3 in TCCAA play.
"We just make way too many errors, but we're happy to get a win," Walters State coach Bill Carlyle said. "We're happy anytime we can get a win in the conference. We'll just keep working at it."
Walters State were led in the game by Michael Houge and Elijah Davis. Houge finished with his seventh double-double of the season, pouring in 24 points and collecting 12 rebounds. Houge shot 10-15 from the field.
Meanwhile, Davis tallied 20 points and six assists in the contest, shooting 7-10 from the field and 6-7 from the free throw line. It was a season-high in points for Davis, as he is now averaging 12 points and seven assists per game.
Other contributors in the game for Walters State were Riley Cooper with eight points, Ty Hurst with seven points and five rebounds, Malachi Hale with five points, Jair Horton with four points and seven rebounds and Destin Barker with two points and four rebounds.
As a team, the Senators grabbed 40 rebounds.
Walters State started quick in the game with buckets by Houge and Davis. Vol State tied the game minutes later and the two teams traded the lead until Vol State took a 22-15 advantage with five minutes left in the half.
Trying to answer, Houge converted an old-fashioned 3-point play before Horton hit a free throw that made it 22-19. After two Davis free throws, Vol State scored to make it 24-21. But the Senators ended the half on a 7-0 run to lead by four at the break at 28-24. Houge had nine points and eight rebounds in the first half while Davis had seven points.
In the second half, the Senators pounded the rock downlow to Houge early for six quick points to make it 34-26. Walters State got the lead to 11 on a jumper by Hurst and then to 12 on free throws from Houge. The lead would hover there for a while until Houge converted a layup to make it 54-41 with six minutes to go.
However, Vol State would not go down without a fight and cut the lead to five with three minutes remaining. Fortunately for the Senators, they were able to regroup and held on for the close victory. Houge had 15 points in the second half while Davis added 13.
Up Next:
Walters State will be back in action on Wednesday as they host Roane State. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics