GREENWOOD, S.C. --- MARCH 4, 2007 --- The opportunity for a first ever Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship for the Clayton State Laker men’s basketball team was dashed on Sunday as the Lakers fell to host Lander 75-61 in the conference title game at Lander’s Horne Arena.

The defeat ended a two-game winning streak for 25^th-ranked Clayton State, which advanced to the championship game with victories over USC-Upstate and Augusta State. The Lakers are now 23-7 overall and now await a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament, which will be announced tonight.

With the victory, Lander (20-10) gets the Peach Belt’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

“We told our team before the game that Lander was playing very well, winning six out of seven games, and they were playing for an NCAA berth,” said Clayton State head coach Gordon Gibbons. “Every basketball game takes on a different personality, and we didn’t play up to the level that Lander played.”

It was a tight game until the final six minutes. That’s when Lander broke a 58-58 tie and outscored Clayton State 17-3 for the final stretch of the game. In fact, the Lakers didn’t score a field goal in the final 5:32.

Zach Evans put the Bearcats up for good 62-60 with a driving lay-up at the 5:23 mark, and after a big defensive stand, Jason Davis increased the lead for Lander with a 3-point basket with 4:48 remaining.

After Clayton State cut the deficit to four points, Lander finished the game on a 10-0 run. The Lakers missed their final 12 shots of the game, finishing only 35 percent shooting from the field for the game.

The second half was a total contrast to the first half for the Lakers. Clayton State committed only one turnover in the opening period, taking a 33-31 lead at halftime. The Lakers built their largest lead of the game at the 3:40 mark, scoring nine straight to lead 30-19. But Lander closed the half on a 12-3 run as Dane Sparrow scored seven points in the span for he Bearcats.

Todd McLaurin paced Clayton State with 12 points, while Jerome Boyd scored 10 points off the bench for the Lakers. McLaurin and Michael Sloan were both selected to the All-Tournament team for Clayton State.

Guard Michael Griffin sealed Peach Belt Tournament Most Valuable Player honors with 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Evans scored 16 points off the bench and Davis scored 12 points. Lander shot 49 percent from the field and 43 percent (9-for-21) from 3-point range.