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One game away from the NCAA Division II "Elite Eight" in Springfield, Mass., Clayton State could not contain the scoring onslaught of Peach Belt Conference rival Augusta State as the Jaguars knocked off the Lakers 89-72 on Monday at Augusta State’s Christenberry Fieldhouse. The defeat ends Clayton State’s season at 19-15. However, the Lakers have a lot to hang their hats on for this season. The Lakers came out of nowhere to win the Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship, followed by advancing to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Division II National Tournament. "They are real tough to guard, and when they are making their shots in the second half, it’s real difficult," said Clayton State head coach Gordon Gibbons. "We played well enough on offense to win the game. If we score 70 points, we’re winning, but we just couldn’t stop them. "However, this run is maybe as satisfying or more because of the struggle to get this team to play championship basketball. I am disappointed tonight, but there weren’t any tears because they knew they laid it on the line for themselves, their coaching staff, their team and their University." Augusta State hit on all cylinders offensively, especially in the second half. The Jaguars shot a whopping 65 percent from the field, hitting on 17-for-26. For the game, Augusta State shot 55 percent from the field. However, Clayton State overcame an early nine-point Augusta State lead with a 14-2 run to take a 3-point lead with 9:40 remaining. The Lakers then stretched the lead to eight points as Jerome Boyd converted a lay-up at the 6:10 mark. Two free throws by Will Lewis gave Clayton State a 34-27 lead with 4:56 remaining. During that rally, the Lakers hit 12 of 14 shots from the field, including 10 straight at one point. But that’s when Augusta State made its move. The Jaguars closed out the half on a 15-3 run as Ben Madgen and Tyrekus Bowman drained back-to-back 3-point baskets to give Augusta State momentum at the break with a 42-37 lead at halftime. The Jaguars broke the game open with a 13-5 run early in the second half. Bowman scored three straight lay-ups during the stretch, and a 3-point basket by Caleb Brown stretched the Augusta State lead to 61-48 with 12:32 remaining. Clayton State cut the lead to single digits only once after that. Meanwhile, Augusta State took its biggest lead of the game 85-67 on two free throws by Demetrius Howard with 1:18 remaining. Bernard Fields paced Clayton State with 18 points on four 3-point baskets, while Tracy Williams scored 14 points with six assists. Will Lewis and Boyd both gave the Lakers strong performances off the bench with 13 and 11 points, respectively. The Lakers shot 48 percent from the field, including 42 percent from 3-point range, and 75 percent from the free throw line. For Augusta State (25-6), Bowman, the two-time Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year, scored a game-high 27 points on 10-for-11 from the free throw line. Madgen, meanwhile, scored 24 points, while guard Daniel Dixon added 10 points off the bench. |
AUGUSTA,
Ga. – March 18, 2008 –