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But the Saints started the second half strong and held on in the end for a 76-70 victory over Clayton State in Peach Belt Conference action at the Athletics and Fitness Center. The defeat drops Clayton State to 12-12 overall and 8-9 in the Peach Belt. The start of the second half was the downer for Clayton State. North Georgia got the momentum when Jakirra Millsap drained a running 3-point basket at the buzzer to give the Saints a 35-32 lead at halftime, and that momentum carried over. North Georgia started the second half on a 21-6 run to built its lead to 18 points. Nick Pope drained a 3-point basket, followed by two straight lay-ups by Anthony Rowe to increase the Saint lead to 48-38 with 15:13 remaining. Andre Morgan then hit two straight 3-point baskets to give North Georgia a 56-38 lead at the 13:09 mark. The Saints’ largest lead of the game was 19 points 63-44 on a Xavier Trice 3-point basket with 10:31 remaining. Clayton State rallied, however. Ricky Garrett’s 3-point basket trimmed the Saints lead to 68-56 with 2:54 remaining. Tracy Williams then took advantage of two North Georgia turnovers with a jump shot in the lane and a 3-point basket to make the score 68-61 North Georgia with 2:09 remaining. The Lakers then forced two more turnovers, but could not convert those opportunities into baskets. North Georgia, meanwhile, was 7-for-8 from the free throw line down the stretch. Bernard Fields had a big game off the bench for Clayton State with 15 points, followed by Garrett with 12 points. Michael Sloan added nine points for the Lakers, and the senior guard tied the Clayton State career steals mark of 166, which is also held by former Clayton State great Charlie Frazier (1998-2002). For North Georgia (16-9, 11-7 PBC), Morgan scored 21 points, followed by Rowe with 15 points, Trice with 14 points and Nick Pope scored 12 points for the Saints. Clayton State plays its final regular season home game of the 2007-08 season on Saturday against Lander at 7:30 p.m. |
MORROW,
Ga. – February 20, 2008 –