Griffin scores 35 in No. 12 Walters State’s 101-42 win over Pellissippi State

MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 12 Walters State hadn't played a game since December 14 heading into Wednesday's battle with Pellissippi State, but you would have never guessed with the way the Lady Senators played from start to finish. 

Against the Panthers, the Lady Senators scored the first eight points of the game and never looked back on their way to a 101-42 win. 

With the victory, Walters State improved to 11-2 on the season and 7-0 in TCCAA play. 

"I thought we were aggressive on both ends of the floor tonight," Walters State coach Jasmin Coleman said. "Considering we hadn't played since December 14th, I was really proud of our defensive effort and overall intensity. This group has made a conscious decision to raise our effort level every day, and that showed. Now, our focus shifts to preparing for a tough stretch of road trips coming up. We'll continue to get better and stay locked in."

Terryauna Griffin led the way for Walters State in the game, finishing with a season-high 35 points. Malon Smith added a season-high 22 points, as well, and Raegan Starks finished with 24 points.

Other scorers for Walters State were Nyjah Gibbs with eight points, Tierra Coleman with four points, Anaya Mulholland-Natt with three points, Paradise Fisher with two points, Mariana Calero Zuniga with two points and Malia Wilcox with one point. Every Lady Senator who saw action in the game scored. 

Mulholland-Natt got the scoring going in the game, draining a 3-pointer, and Starks and Griffin quickly followed with baskets to make it 7-0. The lead got to 8-0 on a free throw by Smith and, after Pellissippi scored to get on the board, the Lady Senators scored eight more to make it 16-2. During the run, Gibbs hit a free throw, Griffin scored, Starks scored and Griffin knocked home a triple. 

From there, Starks scored five more points in the final four minutes of the quarter, and Walters State led 24-9 after one. 

In the second, Gibbs opened things up by knocking home a triple. Griffin followed with four straight points, and it was 31-9. The lead got to 36-13 after Starks scored five straight, and it was 41-15 after five straight points from Smith. Griffin scored six points in the final 3:30 of the half, and the Lady Senators led 54-18 at the break.

The third quarter saw another three get the scoring going, this time Smith scoring it. Smith had seven points in the quarter, while Starks had seven, as well. Griffin did most of her damage at the free throw line, going 5-6 from the charity stripe in the quarter, and the Lady Senators took a 79-27 lead into the final quarter.

Smith was at it again in the final 10 minutes, hitting her second 3-pointer of the game and scoring seven more points. Starks and Griffin also hit triples in the final 10 minutes, while Fisher and Coleman scored. Walters State scored 22 points in the final quarter and went on for the big win.

Up Next:

The Lady Senators will be back in action on Saturday, traveling to take on Columbia State. Tip is set for 3 pm ET.