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rematch between Clayton State and Augusta State will go down in the
annals of the Peach Belt Conference as a "Classic."It will be a "Classic" remembered a long time by Clayton State In the showdown between two Division II Top 25 teams, 22nd-ranked Clayton State handed eighth-ranked and Peach Belt regular season champion Augusta State its first conference defeat of the season 70-68 at the Athletics and Fitness Center. The Laker victory gives Clayton State a split in the season series as the Lakers improve to 21-5 overall and 10-5 in the Peach Belt with one regular season game remaining. After shooting below 40 percent in seven of its last nine games, Clayton State was due for a big offensive performance, and the Lakers got that. Clayton State shot 56 percent from the field, including 58 percent from 3-point range. In the first half alone, the Lakers shot a whopping 62 percent from the field, including 57 percent from 3-point range, in building an early 16-point lead and taking a 38-28 lead at halftime. The Lakers never trailed in the second half, but had to fight off a furious Augusta State rally down the stretch. Clayton State took a 57-46 lead on John Beugnot’s 3-point basket with 10:55 remaining before the Jaguars fought back into the game. Garret Siler trimmed the Laker lead to 63-59 with a 3-point play at the 7:08 mark. Ben Madgen then trimmed the lead to three points 65-62 on a 3-point basket at the 6:19 mark. The two teams traded baskets over the next five minutes. Siler scored on a lay-up to trim the Laker lead to three points, but Brandon Kelley answered with a baseline jump shot to make the Clayton State lead 69-64 with 1:20 remaining. However, Clayton State’s torrid free throw shooting nearly did the Lakers in. Michael Sloan missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Augusta State trimmed the lead to 69-66 on two Madgen free throws with 24 seconds remaining. After Kelley made one of two free throws, the Jaguars’ Kip Small converted two more to trim the Laker lead to two points with nine seconds remaining. Clayton State’s Todd McLaurin was fouled on the inbounds pass with six seconds remaining, but he also missed the front end of a one-and-one. Augusta State had one final opportunity to either tie or win, but Small’s running jump shot from the free throw line was off as time expired. Michael Sloan paced Clayton State with 22 points on 4-for-5 shooting from 3-point range, while Kelley scored 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field. Beugnot added 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field. For Augusta State (22-4, 14-1 PBC), junior forward Tyrekus Bowman scored 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the free throw line, while Madgen scored 16 points. Daniel Dixon scored 11 points and Siler added 10 points. Free throw shooting kept Augusta State within striking distance as the Jaguars shot an impressive 83 percent (15-for-18) from the free throw line. Clayton State closes out the regular season on Saturday, playing host to Georgia College at 7:30 p.m. It will be Senior Night for six Laker seniors playing their final games at the Athletics and Fitness Center. |
