Clayton State men return from break with 60-57 thriller over visiting St. Augustine’s
 Williams scores 16 points, including 8-for-10 from the free throw line as Lakers improve to 5-4

MORROW, Ga. – Dec. 28, 2007 — Playing its first game back from the holiday break, the Clayton State Laker men’s basketball picked up a huge non-conference victory on Friday night with a 60-57 thriller over a dangerous St. Augustine’s squad in the Heritage Bank Holiday Classic at the Athletics and Fitness Center.

The victory was the fourth in the last five games for Clayton State, which improves to 5-4 overall.

Junior guard Tracy Williams came up big for the Lakers, scoring 16 points to pace Clayton State in scoring. More importantly, he connected on 8-for-10 from the free throw line, including 7-for-8 down the stretch to preserve the victory for the Lakers.

St. Augustine’s entered the game leading the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAA) in rebounding, averaging 50 rebounds a game. With that in mind, the Lakers had to keep the Falcons off the boards, and they did. Clayton State out-rebounded St. Augustine’s 46-30, and also held the Falcons to only 14 offensive rebounds.

However, St. Augustine’s was able to stay close against Clayton State thanks to a stingy defense that forced 30 Laker turnovers. And the Falcons turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, forcing 16 Clayton State turnovers with 13 points off the turnovers.

After Clayton State led by 10 points at halftime and by as much as 13 points early in the second half, the Falcons fought back into the game behind the play of center Jeff Sullivan and forward Hayward Fain.

Sullivan scored on a dunk off an offensive rebound, and then converted another dunk and free throw for a 3-point play to bring the Falcons to within three points, 54-51 with 4:21 remaining. After Clayton State extended its lead back five points, Fain scored twice inside, including a 3-point play with eight seconds remaining to cut the Laker lead to 59-57.

Williams came back and converted 1-for-2 from the free throw line to give the Lakers a three-point lead, but St. Augustine’s had one final chance to tie the game. However, the Laker defense stiffened, and the Falcons could not get a shot off before the final horn.

In addition to Williams, senior guard Michael Sloan scored 10 points for the Lakers, while junior guard Ricky Garrett added eight points off the bench. Junior forward Brian Kelly, the Peach Belt Conference’s leading rebounder coming into Friday night, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for Clayton State.

The Lakers were huge from the free throw line in the second half, converting 14-for-19 (74 percent) from the free throw line.

For St. Augustine’s (6-2), Fain scored 13 points for the Falcons, followed by Sullivan with 12 points.

Clayton State closes out 2007 on New Year’s Eve (Monday) with a 3 p.m. clash at Arkansas-Monticello.