Peach Belt Classic! Second-ranked Clayton State outlasts No. 20 Armstrong Atlantic in overtime

MORROW, Ga. --- JANUARY 10, 2007 --- The mark of a great basketball team is the amount of heart and will it has to make it through the roughest of games. The Clayton State Laker men’s basketball showed that heart and will on Wednesday.

Playing host to Armstrong Atlantic in a game pitting two nationally-ranked Division II Peach Belt Conference teams, Clayton State rallied back in the second half and then sealed the deal in overtime with a thrilling, hard-fought 69-64 victory in front of a raucous crowd at the Athletics and Fitness Center. The victory keeps second-ranked Clayton State undefeated on the season at 14-0 and 3-0 in the Peach Belt.

Armstrong Atlantic, which was ranked 20^th in the nation coming into the game, is now 11-3 overall and 2-1 in the Peach Belt.

Clayton State needed a got a tremendous game from guard Todd McLaurin. The senior led all scorers with 21 points, including 15 second half as the Lakers rallied from being down by double-digits in the first half.

For the third straight game, the Lakers got off to a sluggish start, and this time it was almost too much to overcome. Clayton State was only 1-for-15 from the field to start the game as Armstrong Atlantic built a 17-3 lead in the first 10 minutes. However, the Lakers shot 8-for-16 from the field down the stretch and stayed within striking distance, trailing 33-21 at halftime.

However, both McLaurin and fellow guard Michael Sloan willed the Lakers back into it in the second half.

Trailing by 13 points, McLaurin scored six points, including two jump shots to pull the Lakers to within three points, 39-36 with 13:41 remaining. Armstrong Atlantic increased the lead back to eight points on a William Kane 3-point basket, but it was McLaurin that rose to the occasion.

After Aristide Sawadogo’s two free throws brought Clayton State to within two points, 51-49 with4:17 remaining, McLaurin tied the game on a running jumper in the lane. He then gave Clayton State its first lead since the early moments of the game, 53-51 on another running jump shot with 2:51 remaining.

Clayton State appeared to have the game in hand as McLaurin and Sloan converted consecutive lay-ups to give the Lakers a 57-53 lead with 34 seconds remaining. However, the Pirates’ Jamaal Galloway was fouled on a 3-point attempt, and then brought the Pirates to within two points, 58-56 with nine seconds remaining.

Clayton State’s Brandon Kelley was fouled on the inbounds pass and he made one-of-two free throws to give the Lakers a 59-56 lead. However, the Pirates got new life on Kane’s game-tying 3-point basket with nine-tenths of a second remaining to send the game into overtime.

The Lakers made only one field goal in the extra session, but were 8-for-10 from the free throw line. Armstrong Atlantic cut the deficit to one point 65-64 on Galloway’s 3-point play with 1:28 remaining. However, the Pirates’ next possession resulted in a turnover and Kelley gave the Lakers a three-point lead 67-64 with 14 seconds remaining.

Armstrong Atlantic had one final chance to tie, but Galloway’s 3-point attempt was off the mark with two seconds remaining.

In addition to McLaurin, Sloan scored 17 points and Kelley added 10 points. Kane scored 14 points to pace Armstrong Atlantic, followed by Galloway with 12 points and Patrick Sanou and Tory Harris each scored 10 points.

Clayton State plays host to Lander, who is in first place in the Peach Belt North Division, on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.