Lady Senators close out regular season with win over Jackson State

MORRISTOWN, TN – Walters State celebrated Sophomore Day on Saturday afternoon with a 69-43 victory over Jackson State.

The Lady Senators, who clinched their 12th straight TCCAA Regular Season Championship on Wednesday, finished the regular season with a 16-6 record and were 14-1 in conference play.

Sophomores Ryann Woodley, Izarria Alexander, Tyasia Reed, Akiraona Steverson, Gemariona Hollingsworth and Kiera Hill were recognized at halftime of the men's game.

"I thought it was a great way to cap off the regular season and celebrate our sophomores," Walters State coach Jasmin Coleman said. "We did some good things today and continued our trend of playing good defense. It's always good to enter postseason play with a win."

The Lady Senators were led in the game by Kiera Hill. Hill capped off her final home game as a Lady Senator with 22 points. 

Hill has been a staple in the Lady Senators program over the last three seasons. She currently is seventh in the NJCAA in points per game this season.

"Kiera is the type of player we want in our program," Coleman said. "She plays hard, she's a good leader and she knows what we expect out of her each game. She has been our rock this season, and we are counting on her in the postseason." 

Along with Hill, Alexander and Hollingsworth each had nine points. Other scorers for Walters State were Maiya Reed with eight, Matty Tanner with seven, Tyasia Reed with six, Rose Morrow and Elizabeth Chambers each with three and Steverson with two. 

The Lady Senators jumped out quick to start against Jackson State as they scored 20 points in the first frame and held a 20-8 lead after one. Maiya Reed had six points in the quarter while Tanner knocked down a 3-pointer and had five and Hill four.

In the second quarter, the offense slowed a little, but the defense continued. After holding Jackson State to eight points in the first, the Lady Senators held them to six in the second and led 33-14 at the break.

Hill took things over in the second quarter as she scored seven of Walters State's 13 points. 

The third quarter was more of the same for Walters State. While Jackson State managed to double their point total in the third, Walters State added 16 more points. Alexander had five in the frame while Hill had four. 

In the fourth, the sophomores played the majority of the time as they ran out the clock in their final home game. Hill had seven in the quarter while Hollingsworth had five. 

Up Next:

Walters State will open up postseason play on Sunday, February 27, at 3 p.m. The TCCAA Tournament is at Dyersburg this season. The Lady Senators are the No. 1 seed in the tournament. 

"Now is when the real season begins," Coleman said. "We just have to really lock in and take care of business. We need to have a good week of practice and then get after it once we get there. If we do that, we'll be alright."