Wallace State’s Women Prevail Against Shelton State to Win First ACCC Title in 14 Years

After Friday afternoon's win over Calhoun, the Wallace State Lions faced off against the perennial powerhouse, Shelton State. The number one seeded Bucs defeated the number five seeded Lawson State Cougars to set up the rematch of last year's ACCC championship game. Shelton State defeated the Lions last year by a score of 60-58.

 "I couldn't be prouder of this team than I am today," coach Joseph Simmons said. "They found themselves in a battle with a Shelton State team, which has been a dominant force in conference play." 

This juggernaut Shelton State team came into Saturday afternoon riding a 215 conference winning streak. The Bucs were gunning for their 10th straight conference title, with their last loss to an ACCC team occurring 11 seasons ago.

Wallace State trailed 23-8 early on in the second quarter. They rallied from behind, and responded by going on a 17-2 run. The Lions roared their way back to tie the game going into the half, carrying loads of momentum into the third quarter.

The Lions won the third quarter 13-7, which included three 3-pointers. Kallie Tinker made two, and Idaysia Mercer added one onto that to go into the fourth with a 38-32 lead.

The fourth quarter was a slugfest. Wallace State and Shelton State went back and forth, trading basket after basket. The Bucs cut the lead to one point with 30 seconds to go.

Sanaya Gibson made two clutch free throws to extend the lead back to three. Shelton had 6 seconds to get down the court and shoot. Thanks to great team defense they had been playing all game long, the Bucs' last second heave went wide right as the final buzzer sounded. 

The Wallace State faithful went wild as the horn went off, while the Bucs fans could do nothing but sit in disbelief as their national tournament hopes were cast out to sea.

Idaysia Mercer hit some key shots down the stretch, making both three-pointers she shot in the fourth quarter. Mercer ended the game with five made 3's, scoring a total of 17 points, four assists, two rebounds, and a steal.

Kallie Tinker shot sixty percent from beyond the arc. She ended the game with 11 points and a steal.

Kameron Sanders also hit the 10 point mark. She also recorded two rebounds.

Nylaa Fuller led the Lions in rebounding, grabbing nine boards along with scoring six points and passing for three assists. 

The Conference Championship is the first for the Lady Lions since 2010-11 in the final season of legendary coach Larry Slater.

Fuller, Sanders and Mercer represented Wallace State on the All-Tournament Team with Mercer being named the Tournament MVP.

The Wallace State Lions were the first team to earn their spot in the NJCAA Division I

Tournament. They will travel to Casper, Wyo., in two weeks.