NORTH CANTON, Ohio - The Walsh Cavaliers men's basketball team closed out non-conference play with a matchup against the Bluefield State College Big Blues on Tuesday (Jan. 7) night at Alumni Arena. 

Walsh stormed out of the halftime period on a 13-2 run, including eight straight points, turning a one point lead into a 12 point advantage. The Cavaliers outscored Bluefield State 55-32 in the second half, winning 88-64. 

JT Shumate and Darryl Straughter opened the game with a layup each as Walsh led 4-2 after the first four minutes of the contest. The Cavaliers pushed the lead to 7-2 on three free throws over the next two minutes. Bluefield State tied the game at 13 with a 11-6 run in a five minute period. The Big Blues took the lead twice by one but Straughter had the answer each time. The junior nailed five threes on a 17-8 Walsh run, accounting for 15 points. Walsh's lead grew to 30-21 with 4:58 left in the first half. A 9-0 Big Blues run tied the game at 30 in the final two minutes but Shumate made a three pointer with 1:20 remaining. They led 33-32 at the halftime break. 

The Cavs came out of the locker room, beginning a 13-2 run with an Alphonso Baity three ball. He scored six points while Christy added seven on the run. Christy capped eight straight Walsh points with a thunderous dunk, as Walsh led 46-34 with 17:07 remaining in the game. The Cavaliers extended the lead to 16, 54-38 with 13 minutes remaining on a Christy putback after an offensive rebound. Bluefield State trimmed the lead to nine points with a 9-2 run in a three minute period. After the Big Blues run, Straughter kickstarted a 12-4 rally with his sixth three pointer of the night. Shumate scored five consecutive as Walsh's advantage grew to 68-51 with 7:20 left. Over the final 7:20, the Cavaliers outscored the Big Blues 20-13 to seal the fifth straight win for Walsh, 88-64. 

Straughter returned to the starting lineup and gave Walsh 23 points in 35 minutes. He was 7-9 from the floor (6-8 from deep) and 3-4 from the free throw line. Christy earned his seventh double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds. He made eight baskets (one three) and five free throws to go along with his 12 rebounds. Shumate was 7-10 overall (2-2 from long range) and 2-2 from the charity stripe in an 18 point effort. He grabbed nine rebounds with three assists. Baity gave Walsh 16 points off the bench with seven field goals (two threes), three steals and five rebounds. Christian Montague scored seven points with six assists in the ballgame. 

Walsh shot 67% (22-33) in the second half, totaling 53% for the game from the floor. For the game, Walsh knocked down 11 three pointers, finishing at 48% overall from deep. 

Saturday (Jan. 11)'s game will feature two of the top three teams in the G-MAC Point Rating System as Walsh hosts Cedarville in the D2 Showcase on ESPN3, beginning at 3:05 PM at Alumni Arena. 

-WC-