Walters State uses strong first half to storm past Chattanooga State

MORRISTOWN, TN – A strong first half on both ends of the court was plenty for the Walters State men's basketball team Wednesday night as they opened up conference play with a convincing 96-82 victory over Chattanooga State.  

With the win, the Senators improve to 2-0 on the year and 1-0 in TCCAA play.  

"I thought we played well defensively (in the first half)," Walters State coach Bill Carlyle said. "What we wanted to do was hurry them, we wanted to pressure and push them a little bit, and I thought we were very, very successful creating turnovers and getting easy baskets. We now just need to carry that over for two full halves of basketball."  

Walters State was led in the game by De'Marius Boyd who had 28 points in 32 minutes on 12-21 shooting. He also had three steals.  

Along with Boyd, Kajuan Hale recorded his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 assists to go along with five steals. Playing in his first game, Deovaunta Williams helped out on the defensive side of the ball with four steals and 17 points.  

"I think Kajuan played well tonight," Carlyle said. "He usually does. I thought he handled things pretty well. Boyd is a scorer and had a good night. I was really glad to see Williams out there as well. He just needs to stay out of foul trouble, and he'll be good."  

Tylar Haynes added 12 points while Jermize Weddle had 11. As a team, the Senators shot 52% from the field, making 37-71 buckets.  

It was the defensive effort that really set the Senators apart in the first half, however. Just days after allowing 90 points in their opener, Walters State allowed just 25 points in the first half, holding Chatt State to just nine made field goals.  

"The first half we did a great job," Carlyle said. "I was discouraged by the second half, but we did a really good job in the first half. We just need to stay out of foul trouble, and we'll be ok. Any time you beat a conference team, it's good."  

It was Boyd who got the Senators started in the game with four quick points to go along with a Hale basket and Weddle 3-pointer that allowed the Senators to set the tempo. Chattanooga State would take the lead at one point, but a Williams layup made it 11-10 with 11:52 left in the half, and the Senators would never trail again. Williams had four steals in a four-minute span in the half as Walters State saw their lead grow to 24-11.  

Pouring it on, the lead would continue to grow throughout the half as a 3-pointer from Kailon-Benton Hamilton made it a 20-point game with five minutes to go. Weddle capped off the first half scoring for the Senators with a jumper, and they led 48-25 at the break. 

In the second half, both teams got sloppy as 24 fouls were called to go along with 21 combined turnovers. That didn't stop Walters State though, and they got the lead to 30 after a Destin Baker free throw. After that, it was smooth sailing for the Senators. Hale played all 20 minutes of the second half while Boyd played 19.  Haynes had 12 points in the half while Boyd had 13 and Baker and Williams each had seven. 

UP NEXT: 

Walters State will be back in action on Saturday as they travel to take on Motlow State. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.  

"We've got Motlow on Saturday," Carlyle said. "Motlow is a tough place to play, and they shoot the ball really well and have a good matchup defense. It'll be tough. I've just got to get my team where I want them. We do have some talent and some kids that have heart. If we keep going, maybe we can get it done."  

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics