Missed opportunities hurt Clayton State men in 70-60 setback at 12th-ranked Augusta State
Williams scores 15 points as Lakers fall to 5-6 and 1-3 in Peach Belt Conference

AUGUSTA, Ga. – January 5, 2008 – The opportunities were plentiful for the Clayton State Laker men’s basketball team in its Peach Belt Conference showdown at in-state rival Augusta State on Saturday. However, the Lakers could not cash in on those opportunities when they needed them the most and dropped a tough 70-60 defeat to the 12th-ranked Jaguars at Christenberry Fieldhouse.

The defeat drops Clayton State to 5-6 overall and 1-3 in the Peach Belt. Despite the defeat, Laker head coach Gordon Gibbons saw a lot of positives that he believes will carry his team the remainder of the season.

"This team showed a lot with their warrior-like effort," said Gibbons. "We out-hustled and out-worked a very good Augusta State team. This team has seen the light and we now need to build of the positives."

Clayton State did everything possible to prevail against the dangerous Jaguars. The Lakers killed Augusta State on the offensive glass with 20 offensive rebounds, and forced 18 Jaguar turnovers with their stingy, over-playing defensive pressure.

However, the Achillies’ heel for Clayton State was missing some key easy lay-ups in a competitive first half. The Lakers missed seven lay-ups from point-blank range in the early part of the first half as Augusta State built an early 13-point lead behind its deadly scoring combination of forwards Tyrekus Bowman and Ben Madgen.

However, Clayton State responded with a 14-4 run to close the lead to four points behind some strog shooting from junior guard Tracy Williams. Augusta State, however, scored the final five points of the half for a 39-30 lead at halftime.

The Lakers stayed within striking distance again for much of the second half, never letting Augusta State lead by more than nine points. But missed opportunities again hurt Clayton State as the Lakers committed four straight turnovers in transition and missed five straight free throws that may have tied the game.

Clayton State used a 7-2 run to close the Augusta State lead to 57-53 with 3:48 remaining. But a key turnover off an inbounds pass by Brian Kelly proved to be costly for Clayton State, who had chance to cut the Augusta State lead to three points on the possession.

Williams paced Clayton State with 15 points on 6-for9 shooting from the field, while Sloan scored 11 points. The Lakers shot only 38 percent from the field and only 28 percent from 3-point range.

Bowman scored 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field, while Madgen scored 19 points on 10-for-11 shooting from the free throw line. The Jaguars shot 79 percent (19-for-24) from the free throw line.

Clayton State is home on Wednesday for a crucial Peach Belt Conference showdown against in-state rival Columbus State at 7:30 p.m.