12th-ranked Lady Senators remain unbeaten in TCCAA play with 97-80 win over Motlow State

LYNCHBURG, TN – No. 12 Walters State scored early and often on Wednesday evening against Motlow State, and the Lady Senators picked up their ninth win in conference play with a 97-80 victory.

With the win, Walters State improved to 13-2 overall and 9-0 in TCCAA play. The Lady Senators have not lost a conference game since February 15, 2025, and have won 28 of their last 29 regular season conference games. 

"Happy to come away with a road win," Walters State coach Jasmin Coleman said. "I'm proud of our group for how they competed and shared the load, especially with a short rotation. We had good stretches offensively, but there's still a lot for us to clean up. Our focus remains on getting better each day and continuing to grow as a team." 

In the scoring column, it was a trio of sophomores leading the way. For the second straight game, Terryauna Griffin scored over 30 points, finishing with 31 points on Wednesday night. Griffin is averaging 21 points per game in TCCAA play.

Along with Griffin, Nyjah Gibbs scored 23 points and Raegan Starks added 22 points. Other scorers for the Lady Senators were Tierra Coleman with seven points, Paradise Fisher with five points, Anaya Mulholland-Natt with five points and Malia Wilcox with four points.

The Lady Senators got out to a 7-2 lead to start the game, thanks in part to a Starks and-one. Motlow tied the game with five straight points, but Walters State responded with 10 of their own. Griffin had eight of them during the run, and the Lady Senators led, 17-7. 

Griffin continued to lead the charge in the opening quarter, hitting a 3-pointer that made it 23-12. Motlow hung around, but Starks hit a shot to end the first quarter that gave Walters State a 27-22 lead.

In the second, Starks and Gibbs scored to up the Walters State lead to 32-22. The lead was 36-26 following a Griffin 3-pointer, and it was 39-29 after a free throw from Coleman. Griffin and Mulholland-Natt traded buckets later in the quarter, and Gibbs scored three points in the final minute to help give Walters State a 48-37 advantage at the break.

The lead remained around 10 for the start of the third quarter, and Walters State led 59-47 midway through when Fisher scored. Griffin then hit two 3-pointers to extend the lead to 65-51, and Gibbs scored four straight to make it 69-53. The Lady Senators closed the quarter strong and led 71-59 heading to the fourth. 

Motlow scored the first two points of the fourth quarter, but Starks converted an and-one and Griffin scored five straight to make it 79-61. Starks kept the run going with a made shot that got the lead to 20, and Gibbs kept the lead around there with four points. When Gibbs scored again a few minutes later, the lead was 93-75, and she got the lead to 97-77 with yet another open layup. Motlow scored the final three points of the game, but Walters State took the 97-80 win.

Up Next:

Walters State will be back home on Saturday, hosting Jackson State. Tip is set for 2 pm ET.