Starks, Perkins come up big late for 22nd-ranked Lady Senators in 63-57 win over Chattanooga State

MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 22 Walters State needed a rally and got one in the final four minutes of Wednesday's game against Chattanooga State, outscoring the Tigers 12-5 to grab a 63-57 victory.

With the win, Walters State improved to 18-4 overall and 15-0 in TCCAA play. The Lady Senators have won 10 in a row.

The comeback for the Lady Senators was made possible by Raegan Starks and Kyra Perkins. Starks had a game-high 22 points, while Perkins added 21. 

"Glad to pull this one out over a well-coached Chattanooga State team," Walters State coach Jasmin Coleman said. "We have to toughen up across the board these last six games and into the tournament.

"Raegan (Starks) was big for us all game. Without her, it doesn't happen. She was tough tonight for 40 minutes. Kyra also made big plays to help us." 

Along with Starks and Perkins, Terryauna Griffin added 12 points while Nyjah Gibbs had six points and Jahliya McDonald two points. 

It was all Chattanooga State early, as the Tigers went up 11-2. Walters State got four points on a Perkins free throw and 3-point play, but Chattanooga State scored the final seven points to go up 18-6 after one. 

In the second, Chattanooga State ran their lead to 22-12 but Walters State got some momentum with eight points from Starks over a three minute stretch. Griffin hit a three to end the half, and Walters State trailed by only four at 27-23. 

In the third, Chattanooga State scored the first six points to go back up by 10. The lead would hover around eight for the next few minutes, but Perkins scored and Griffin hit a three to cut it to 37-34 with three minutes left in the quarter. Chattanooga State hit a shot to get their lead back to five, but Perkins scored five straight to tie the game at 39. The two teams would battle in the final two minutes of the quarter, with Chattanooga leading 42-41 heading to the fourth.

In the fourth, Walters State grabbed the lead on a Starks basket. Chattanooga State scored five straight to go up four, but Gibbs scored and Perkins got a steal that led to two Griffin free throws that tied the game at 49. Chattanooga State took one final lead at 52-51 with four minutes left, but Griffin scored four straight to give the Lady Senators a 55-52 advantage. 

From there, Chattanooga State hit a basket to cut it to one before Perkins scored to get it back to three. It was two after a free throw by the Tigers, but Starks scored again with 1:20 to go. Chattanooga State scored one final time in the game to cut it to two, but Starks got the ball out of a timeout off of a perfect play and laid the ball in while getting fouled. Starks hit the free throw, and then one more free throw with 11 seconds left to seal the 63-57 win. 

Up Next:

Walters State will be back in action on Saturday, traveling to take on Dyersburg State at 3 pm ET.