LYNCHBURG — The Walters State Senators dominated the opening 35 minutes of their contest at Motlow State, but the final five belonged to the home team, as the Bucks raced past the Senators for the 76-73 victory.

With the win, Motlow State coach Jerry Nichols, a former Walters State All-American, grabbed his first win against former coach Bill Carlyle and improved his Bucks squad to 11-7 overall and 8-4 in TCCAA action.

The loss dropped the Senators to 13-6 and 8-5 in the TCCAA.

Walters State was red-hot in the first half, nailing 56.7 percent (17 of 30) of their shots while holding Motlow below 30 percent in the opening 20 minutes to build a 43-30 halftime lead.

The roles reversed in the second half however, and the Bucks got hot and ended the game shooting 39.7 percent (25 of 63) from the field while making eight treys.

Freddie Goldstein pumped in 23 points to lead Motlow in the win, and Robbie Townsend tacked on 13 points while Darryn Frazier added 11 in the victory.

The Senators finished up shooting 45.9 percent (28 of 61) from the floor, but they made only 2 of 11 from long distance.

Marsallis Malone recorded a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds in the contest for Walters State, while Fred Sturdivant added 13 points and eight boards. John Holleman chipped in 10 points in the defeat.

The Senators will return to action on Wednesday evening when they host TCCAA rival Cleveland State in ‘Z’ Buda Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.