14th-ranked Senators come through late for 61-57 win over Columbia State

MORRISTOWN, TN – With No. 14 Walters State clinging to a two-point lead on Saturday against Columbia State, Taquez Butler stepped to the free throw line with 8.9 seconds left, looked at his bench and told them, "I've got you, nothing to worry about."

Butler was spot on.

Butler hit both free throws, extending the Senators lead to four, and Walters State got a stop on the other end to give them a 61-57 win over the Chargers. 

With the victory, the Senators improved to 25-1 on the season and 17-1 in TCCAA play. Walters State now has a one-game lead over Columbia State in the TCCAA standings. 

It was also Sophomore Day for Walters State on Saturday. Before the game, Jayden Nesbitt, Jaquavious Wallace, Brian Carter, Jamar Livingston, Malaki Brooks and Da'Mori Lytch were all honored. 

Livingston led the way for Walters State in the game with 13 points, while Lytch added 12. Other scorers were Carter with 10, Butler with eight, Trae Rideau with seven, Nesbitt with seven and Carter Webb with four. 

It was all Walters State early, as the Senators scored 12 of the first 15 points of the game. Lytch hit two free throws to open things, and Livingston got a layup after. Columbia got on the board with a three, but Rideau scored, Carter had four straight and Livingston scored to make it 12-3.

However, Columbia began to wake up and took a 16-14 lead. The Senators ended their drought with two Carter free throws, a Livingston three and a Carter dunk that made it 21-16. Columbia scored three straight to end the run, but Lytch scored and Livingston drilled another three that got the lead to 26-19. The lead hovered around seven in the final minutes of the half, and Nesbitt hit a free throw that made it 31-23 at the break. 

In the second, Columbia came out on fire, scoring 16 of the first 19 points to go 39-34. The Senators calmed down and tied the game back up on two free throws by Lytch, a free throw by Rideau and a tough contested layup by Livingston. 

Columbia hit a free throw to briefly regain the lead, but Nesbitt scored on a putback dunk, Lytch hit a three, Webb hit a three and Lytch scored to make it 49-40. The lead was 51-42 after a couple of Nesbitt free throws, and it was 54-45 when Webb split a pair of free throws. However, Columbia slowly crept back and tied the game at 55 with a minute to go. 

The Senators got the ball back and regained the lead when Lytch hit a shot in the paint that made it 57-55. Columbia got the points back with a jumper at the free-throw line, but Butler drove in with 28 seconds left and hit a layup over three Columbia defenders to get the lead back at 59-57. The Senators got a stop on the other end with 8.9 seconds left, and Butler hit two free throws to ice the game.

Up Next:

Walters State is back in action on Wednesday, hosting Motlow State for Homecoming. Tip is set for 7:30 pm ET.