Malon Smith records triple-double in 91-44 win over Northeast Mississippi 

MORRISTOWN, TN – Malon Smith has only played two games for the Walters State women's basketball team, but she's already making an impact.

On Sunday, one day after leading the Lady Senators in scoring in their win over No. 2 Shelton State, Smith recorded a triple-double as No. 18 Walters State eased to a 91-44 victory over Northeast Mississippi in the Kragel Classic. 

With the win, Walters State improved to 2-0 on the season. For Walters State coach Jasmin Coleman, her team's ability to play back-to-back days at a high level against solid competition was a huge encouragement. 

"At any point in the season, it's hard to play two days in a row, especially when you are playing a team like Shelton State, who is coached by a Hall of Fame coach in Coach Thompson," Coleman said. "I didn't know exactly how our kids would respond today, but I hoped our preseason and practice habits would prepare us. They definitely did.

"When we built our schedule, we wanted it to be as challenging as possible. Wins and losses matter, but competing against well-coached, disciplined teams matters more in the long run. I was proud of our players' buy-in to recover and focus coming into this game."  

Smith led the way for the Lady Senators, finishing with 13 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. Smith was 5-7 from the floor and had three steals, as well. 

Along with Smith, Terryauna Griffin finished with 19 points and made five 3-pointers. Raegan Starks had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Tierra Coleman came off the bench and had 10 points, five rebounds and three steals. 

Other contributors for Walters State were Anaya Mulholland-Natt with nine points, six rebounds and five assists, Nyjah Gibbs with eight points, Malia Wilcox with seven points and four steals, Paradise Fisher with five points and five rebounds, Mariana Calero Zuniga with three points and Ze'yana Stewart with two points. 

As a team, Walters State shot 33-70 from the field and assisted on 27 of 33 made baskets. Walters State had 48 rebounds, 23 being offensive. The Lady Senators defense forced 22 turnovers. 

It was a slow start to the game, with Walters State trailing 2-1 five minutes into the game. Stewart hit two free throws to give the Lady Senators the lead, and Starks followed with two free throws. Starks then scored seven more points to make it 14-6, and Griffin hit two three's in the final 30 seconds of the quarter to give the Lady Senators a 21-6 lead after one. 

In the second quarter, Griffin scored seven more points in the first two minutes to increase the lead to 28-6. The 22-0 run concluded as Starks hit two free throws, and Smith scored four points to make it 34-6. Fisher scored five straight late in the quarter, and Walters State led 43-15 at the half. 

The third quarter was more of the same for Walters State, with Mulholland-Natt hitting three 3-pointers and Wilcox adding six points. Starks had seven rebounds in the third, as well, and Walters State led 70-31 going to the fourth. 

In the fourth, Smith concluded her impressive night with seven more points while Coleman added six points. The Lady Senators outscored Northeast Mississippi 21-13 in the final 10 minutes. 

Up Next:

Walters State will be back in action next Saturday, opening up TCCAA play on the road against Southwest Tennessee. Tip is set for 3 pm ET.