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No. 8 Walters State opens play in NJCAA DI Women’s Basketball Tournament on Friday

No. 8 Walters State opens play in NJCAA DI Women’s Basketball Tournament on Friday
March 23, 2026

LAKE CHARLES, LA – No. 8 Walters State begins play in the NJCAA DI Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday, taking on the winner of No. 9 State Fair and No. 24 Central Georgia Tech at 11 am ET. 

This is Walters State's 21st NJCAA DI Women's Basketball Tournament Appearance, the third-most appearances in all of the NJCAA. 

Friday's game will be at The Legacy Center in Lake Charles, LA at McNeese State and can be seen on ESPN+. The winner will play in the Elite Eight on Saturday at 11 am ET. 

How They Got Here:

Walters State

  • The Lady Senators won the regular season conference championship, going 20-0 in conference play and 27-2 overall. It was the first time since the 2018-19 season that the Lady Senators went perfect in conference play. 

  • Walters State's big win of the season came against No. 3 Shelton State, defeating them 65-54. Walters State also beat No. 24 Central Georgia Tech during the season, an 85-81 win in overtime. The Lady Senators two losses on the year were against No. 3 Shelton State and No. 14 Chipola. 

  • In the Region 7 Tournament, Walters State went 3-0. The Lady Senators beat Pellissippi State 81-51 in their opening game, Motlow State 73-46 in their Semifinal matchup and Columbia State 85-42 in the Championship.

  • In the Championship, Terryauna Griffin finished with 25 points and eight rebounds, while Nyjah Gibbs had 16 points and nine rebounds. Gibbs was the Region 7 Tournament MVP, finishing the tournament with 56 points and 38 rebounds. 

Walters State Team Stats:

  • The Lady Senators rank in the Top 10 in the NJCAA in nine stats.

    • No. 2 in Offensive Rebounds (19.9)

    • No. 3 in Points Allowed (49.1)

    • No. 5 in Rebound Margin (17.1)

    • No. 7 in Points Per Game (82.9)

    • No. 7 in Rebounds Allowed (29.4)

    • No. 7 in 3-point Shooting Against (23.1%)

    • No. 8 in Field Goal Percentage (44.7%)

    • No. 8 in Assists (17.9)

    • No. 8 in Steals (14.5)

  • Terryauna Griffin ranks fourth in the country in points per game at 21.2. 

Players To Watch:

Walters State

  • Terryauna Griffin: Griffin is Walters State's All Time Leading Scorer, currently at 1,141 points. Griffin also holds the program record for points in a season, currently sitting at 616 points. Griffin was the TCCAA Player of the Year and the Offensive Player of the Year. Griffin shot 43% from the field on the season and averaged five rebounds per game. 

  • Nyjah Gibbs: An All-TCCAA First Team member and the TCCAA/Region 7 Tournament MVP, Gibbs averaged 16.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Gibbs shot 53.5% from the field and recorded 12 double-doubles on the season, including a stretch in February where she had four in five games. 

  • Raegan Starks: Another All-TCCAA First Team member, Starks averaged 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Starks grabbed 254 rebounds this season, 108 of them being offensive rebounds. 

  • Malon Smith: A standout freshman, Smith averaged 9.7 points, 6.7 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. In 26 games, Smith recorded 174 assists and had a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. Smith had 84 steals on the season and shot 40% from the field. In the TCCAA/Region 7 Tournament, Smith finished with 30 points, 21 rebounds and 20 assists. 

The Jasmin Coleman File

  • In six seasons as head coach, Walters State's Jasmin Coleman has a 129-33 record and 93-7 record in TCCAA play. The Lady Senators have won the conference and made the NJCAA DI Women's Basketball Tournament five times under Coleman.

  • Under Coleman, the Lady Senators have had five NJCAA All-Americans.

    • 2020-21 - Blayre Shultz (2nd Team)

    • 2021-22 - Kiera Hill (2nd Team)

    • 2023-24 - Asia Barr (Honorable Mention)

    • 2024-25 - Terryauna Griffin (3rd Team)

    • 2024-25 - Kyra Perkins (Honorable Mention)

  • Coleman has been named the TCCAA Coach of the Year five times. 

  • Before becoming Head Coach, Coleman was an assistant at Walters State for nine years. During that time, the Lady Senators compiled a 259-40 record, made an NJCAA Final Four and two Elite Eight Appearances. Walters State finished in the Top 15 eight times during the nine years. 

  • As a player at Walters State, Coleman made the NJCAA Tournament twice. During her sophomore season, Coleman was a starter and captain. Coleman ranks in the Top 15 in program history in 3-pointers and 3-point percentage.