Wallace State freshman Taylor Hollingsworth defends a Cleveland State guard in their game Tuesday night.
HANCEVILLE – Wallace State’s basketball teams lost their games to Cleveland State at Tom Drake Coliseum on Tuesday night.
Four days after a thrilling victory over Andrew College, Wallace State’s women lost 56-48 to the Lady Cougars.
Sophomore Jasmine Hollis led Wallace State scorers with 11 points off the bench. Freshman Joy Sadler added 10 points off the bench and Jemaiya Lee added six points.
Wallace State led 17-12 after the first quarter. Cleveland State rallied to seize a 23-21 edge with 2:31 remaining in the second quarter on a Keya Jenkins bucket, marking the Lady Cougars first lead of the game.
Cleveland State limited the Lady Lions to two points throughout the rest of the half and held a 29-23 advantage at intermission.
Cleveland State led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter. Wallace State trimmed its deficit to 40-35 as the third period expired, receiving a layup from Janese Richardson and a 3-pointer by Sydney Powell on consecutive possessions.
Wallace State (1-1) got within four points in the final quarter, but Cleveland State never relinquished the lead.
Jenkins led Cleveland State with 13 points.
The Lady Lions were playing their second straight game at home to begin the season after beating Andrew College last week. Kelsey Houston’s 3-pointer at the top of the key with 2.5 seconds remaining lifted Wallace State past the Lady Bulldogs.
Houston had 19 points behind five 3-pointers on Friday, and the Lady Lions drained 11 treys as a team.
The Lady Lions play Denmark Technical College at Americus, Ga., on Saturday and Cape Fear Community College on Sunday.
Men’s game
Cleveland State 74, Wallace State 62
Wallace State’s men dropped their home opener despite having three players finish with double figures.
Ryshante Ellis led the Lions (1-2) in the loss with 14 points, Rashawn Green had 13 and Jaylen McCoy added 11 points.
Cleveland State jumped out to an 11-6 lead early in the first half. Wallace State cut its deficit to 19-18 with 9:05 remaining after a pair of Zach Allison free throws, but Cleveland State responded by pushing its lead to nine points with 4:30 to go in the first half.
Cleveland State led 39-31 at halftime.
After facing as much as an 11-point deficit in the second half, Wallace State trimmed Cleveland State’s lead to 55-53 with 7:55 left in the game after a 3-point play by Green.
Once again, Cleveland State answered and eventually extended its advantage to double digits.
For Wallace State, Allison and Josh Hill added seven points apiece.
Cleveland State had four players finish with double figures. Alfonzo Peoples finished with a game-high 16 points, while Elijah Weems, Victor Curry and Jordan Olison each poured in 10 points.
Wallace State played its home opener after splitting a pair of games over the weekend in Tennessee. In a 24-point victory over Clinton Junior College, McCoy scored 20 points for Wallace State, while Ellis poured in 14 points.
Wallace State hosts a pair of NJCAA perennial powerhouses beginning Friday. The Lions welcome Chipola College at 7 p.m. on Friday and top-ranked Northwest Florida State College on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit http://athletics.wallacestate.edu/.
