Women's basketball team opens national tournament Thursday vs. Walters State

The Eastern Florida State College women's basketball team will play No. 18 seed Walters State College in the second round of the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament Thursday at Rip Griffin Center at Lubbock Christian University.

The Titans come into the tournament as the No. 2 seed and are 31-1 on the season, while Walters State College is now 26-4 after defeating No. 15 Casper College 76-67 in the first round on Wednesday.

Walters State College's Kailyn Farrell had 25 points, while teammate Tyasia Reed had 21 in the win. The Lady Senators are now 6-0 this season on a neutral court.

Eastern Florida State College is making its second straight appearance in the national tournament and was the No. 18 seed last season and knocked off No. 2 seed Shelton State on their way to an Elite Eight appearance.

Region VIII Tournament Most Outstanding Player Leilani Guion is one of four players who average double figures in scoring this season. The sophomore from Orlando was also named to the Region 8 All-State team, averaging 10.9 points this season. In the tournament, Guion averaged 12 points.

L'or Eyeba Mputu leads the team, averaging 13 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The sophomore from the Democratic Republic of Congo was named the Central Conference Player of the Year, to the Region 8 All-State Team as well as the Region 8 All-Tournament team.

Shadaria Smith is averaging 11 points per game and was named to the Region 8 All-Tournament team. The sophomore guard from Orlando is leading the team with 47 steals.

Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu is averaging 10 points and 9.2 rebounds off the bench for the Titans. The freshman from London, England has 11 double-doubles this season.

Amelia Hassett is averaging eight points and seven rebounds per game and Elli Garnett is averaging seven points and five rebounds.

Thursday's game will tip off at 7 p.m. EDT and will be shown on the NJCAA Network for $10.