Perkins’ 13 fourth quarter points lead No. 23 Walters State over Cleveland State

CLEVELAND, TN – Kyra Perkins played her role as a sophomore perfectly Wednesday night for No. 23 Walters State, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lady Senators to a 53-46 win over Cleveland State.

With the victory, Walters State improved to 16-4 overall and 13-0 in TCCAA play. The win also extended their win streak to eight and kept them undefeated in 2025. 

Despite the win, the Lady Senators were tied for the first couple minutes of the fourth quarter. With the score 36-36, Perkins scored eight of Walters State's next 12 points as the Lady Senators grabbed a 48-38 lead. Perkins would score five more in the final four minutes to preserve the win.

For the game, Perkins led the way with 25 points and seven rebounds. Along with Perkins, Nyjah Gibbs had 10 points while Morgan Williams had seven points and 11 rebounds. Otter contributors for Walters State were Terryauna Griffin with four points, Anaya Mulholland-Natt with three points, Jahliya McDonald with two points and Raegan Starks with two points.

As a team, the Lady Senators forced 25 Cleveland State turnovers and held them to 36% from the field. 

"We didn't shoot the ball well tonight and when you do that, you have to defend," Walters State coach Jasmin Coleman said. "We found a way to get stops and pull it out. Kyra stepped up tonight and did what a sophomore is supposed to do. She made crucial plays in the fourth to help us pull out the win.

"We will have to get back at it tomorrow and prepare for Volunteer State on Saturday, who is coming off a big win tonight."

It was a great start for Walters State in the game, as the Lady Senators scored 10 of the first 12 points of the game. Mulholland-Natt and Perkins each had a three during that run, while Gibbs and McDonald scored. However, Cleveland scored the final five points and cut the lead to 10-7 after one.

In the second, Williams hit two threes for Walters State and had seven points, while Gibbs and Griffin each had four. The Lady Senators scored 17 points in the quarter and led 27-18 at the break.

The third quarter was when things got interesting, with Cleveland State scoring the first 12 points to take a 30-27 lead. Perkins broke the run with two free throws and then hit a three to get the lead back at 32-30. Cleveland tied it with a jumper, but Starks and Perkins hit layups that made it 36-34 after three.

In the fourth, Cleveland scored first to tie things back up at 36. But that was when Perkins took over and got the Walters State lead to 12. Gibbs had the other four points in the quarter for the Lady Senators as they took home the seven-point win. 

Up Next:

Walters State will be at home on Saturday, taking on Volunteer State. Tip is set for 2:00 pm ET.