Powell’s 29 points lead Senators past Roane State

HARRIMAN, Tenn. – Kobe Powell and Jermize Weddle could not be stopped on Wednesday night as Walters State blew past Roane State, defeating the Raiders 94-77 on the road.

Powell scored the games first seven points and didn't look back, totaling 29 points in the game on 11-17 shooting. Weddle added 27 points of his own and was a perfect 7-of-7 from 3-point range.

"We shot the lights out," Walters State Bill Carlyle said. "Jermize came in and was terrific. Kobe has played great the past couple games. Kobe had a really good game. He puts pressure on the other team."

With the win, Walters State improved to 13-6 on the season and 6-2 in conference play. The Senators were led by Powell and Weddle in points. Sly Thompson finished with seven assists while Paris Taylor had eight rebounds. Thompson had nine points as well.

Walters State shot 57 percent from the field in the game and was 10-of-13 from 3-point range. The Senators had 29 points off turnovers and forced 21 turnovers.

"The difference in the game was our pressure on defense," Carlyle said. "I thought it was a big factor in the game. We did a nice job of getting started on them and pretty much the whole game. I thought they made a mistake, trying to take us one-on-one.

It was a balanced effort in the first half on Wednesday night with Walters State shooting 59 percent and totaling 49 points while also forcing 12 turnovers and holding the Raiders to just 39 points. Walters State scored 13 points off turnovers in the first half.

It started early for the Senators as Powell helped build a 7-0 lead. That set the tone for the first half as the lead never dipped below six for the Senators. The lead was 18 after a Weddle 3-pointer, but the Raiders cut it to 13 at the half.

Powell was sensational in the first half with 21 points, shooting 8-of-10 from the field and draining two 3-pointers. Powell also had five rebounds in the half. Weddle was perfect from the 3-point line, going 3-of-3, and had 11 points. Thompson added seven and had six assists.

The lead dipped to 11 early in the second half, but Weddle took over. Weddle had 16 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half and four 3-pointers. With Weddle on fire, the lead grew to 25 points.

After not scoring in the first half, Luiz Machado got it going as well with nine points in the second. Machado completed a 3-point play with under 12 minutes to go that put the lead at 20. The lead hovered around there for the rest of the contest.

"Bottom line is, when you play down here and win, you have to feel good about it," Carlyle said. "It's a conference win, and we are excited to get it and go back and play a home game on Saturday."

Walters State will back in action on Saturday, taking on Jackson State at 4 p.m. at 'Z' Buda Gymnasium. Jackson State is a perfect 11-0 on the year, entering the contest on Saturday.