No. 9 Lady Senators top Southwest Tennessee, 61-50

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Ninth-ranked Walters State never trailed but took until the fourth quarter to put away Southwest Tennessee Friday night in a 61-50 road victory in Tennessee Community College Athletic Association play inside Verties Sails Gymnasium.

The Lady Senators rode the strong play of sophomores Dulcy Fankam-Mendjiadeu, Zacharyia Esmon and Damond Forrest to the victory, as the trio combined for 48 points and 27 rebounds in the victory.

With the win, the Lady Senators have won six of their last seven games and 148 of their last 149 games in TCCAA play, as they improved to 7-2 overall and 2-0 in league action.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Lady Saluqis, as they dropped to 5-2 on the year and 2-1 in region play.

The Lady Senators grabbed a 15-9 lead after one period before watching the Lady Saluqis pull within 27-23 at halftime, as Southwest Tennessee outscored WSCC 14-12 in the second 10-minute session.

The Lady Senators rebounded in the third period, holding a 20-11 scoring margin to increase the lead to 47-34 entering the fourth, where WSCC claimed its largest lead at 16 points with 8:09 left and cruised home to the victory.

Walters State shot 49.1 percent (26 of 53) from the field in the win, making 3 of 7 from long range and 6 of 11 at the charity stripe, offsetting 25 turnovers in the contest. The Lady Senators also held a 39-20 edge on the glass and 36-16 margin in points in the paint.

Mendjiadeu tallied a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds to pace WSCC, while Esmon added 16 points and 7 boards and Forrest netted 10 points and 9 rebounds in the win.

Southwest Tennessee shot just 33.9 percent (19 of 56) in the contest, including just 1 of 13 from long distance, and the Lady Saluqis were 11 of 16 at the free throw line and committed 19 turnovers. Takya Bennett led the home team with 20 points, while Tia Bland recorded 16 in the loss. No other Southwest player scored more than 5 points.

The Lady Senators will be back at it again Saturday evening with a 5 p.m. tipoff at Dyersburg State (6-4, 0-2 TCCAA) in the final game of the West Tennessee road trip.