MORRISTOWN, TN – With the Senators 10-point lead dwindling to four with five minutes remaining on Wednesday evening against Columbia State, Walters State needed someone to step up and calm the storm.
Enter Charvez Ambrose.
Following a dunk by Anthony Davis Jr. that upped the lead to six, Ambrose hit back-to-back 3-pointers that all but iced the game. Carter Metz made free throws for Walters State down the stretch, and the Senators grabbed a 56-46 win over Columbia State.
With the victory, the Senators improved to 11-6 overall and 6-3 in TCCAA play. Walters State have now won nine of their last 10 games.
Ambrose had 15 points in the game, 12 coming in the second half, while dishing out a handful of assists to Aiden Goins, who led the way with 17 points. Other scorers for Walters State were Metz with nine points, Da'Mori Lytch with four points, Davis Jr. with four points, Alex Garcia with three points, Elijah Clinton with two points and Malaki Brooks with two points.
Garcia staked Walters State out to a 5-2 lead early thanks to a 3-pointer, and it was 8-4 following a three by Goins. Metz and Goins then each scored to make it 12-4 10 minutes into the game, as Walters State's defense was suffocating on every Columbia State possession.
The Senators continued to extend their lead, as Ambrose hit a three and Clinton scored to make it 17-8. Columbia answered with seven straight to make it a two-point game, but a big Metz three and Goins basket gave Walters State a 26-21 advantage at the half.
In the second half, the two teams traded baskets before Goins scored, Davis Jr. scored and Lytch scored to extend the lead to 34-22. The lead grew to 38-25 on back-to-back baskets by Goins, thanks to two nice assists from Ambrose, but Columbia worked back into the game with a 6-0 run.
However, Ambrose temporarily stopped the threat with an and-one. Columbia scored six more to make it a four-point game with six minutes left, and the two teams traded baskets after. Davis Jr. then had his dunk, and Ambrose hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 51-39. Columbia got the lead down to nine, but Metz hit four free throws and Lytch had a sensational two-handed block that he caught off the backboard, clinching the game and grabbing the 10-point win.
Up Next:
Walters State will be back in action on Saturday, on the road at Southwest Tennessee. Tip is set for 5 pm ET.
