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After
dominating the first half against Armstrong Atlantic, the Lakers
needed every ounce of energy and determination to hold off the
Pirates 73-70 at Lander’s Horne Arena. The victory was the third
straight for 18th-ranked Clayton State, which is now 23-5
overall. Up next for the Lakers is Saturday’s 2 p.m. semifinal
showdown against in-state rival Georgia College at Lander. “The
teams in this tournament are facing elimination, so they are like
wild animals backed in a corner trying to fight their way out,”
said Clayton State head coach Dennis Cox. “Our motivation this
week is to host the regionals next week, and for that to happen, we
need to win here.” Clayton
State dominated every facet of the first half, leading by as many as
16 points. Nikkisha Pritchett’s 3-point basket at the 2:18 mark
gave the Lakers a 40-24 lead. Kim Lloyd then drained a 3-point
basket at the buzzer to make the Clayton State lead 45-30 at
halftime. The
Lakers increased the margin to 58-41 following a 3-point basket by
Roberta Phillips at the 14:57 mark. However, Armstrong Atlantic, led
by its forward tandem of Kaneetha Gordon and Lacey Willis, went on a
26-10 run over the next 10 minutes to trim the Clayton State lead to
one point, 68-67 with 4:50 remaining. An
unconventional 3-point play by Shantel Ragin stretched the Clayton
State lead back to 73-67 with 3:16 remaining. But Armstrong Atlantic
answered with a 3-point basket by Gordon with 2:44 remaining. After
that, Clayton State survived two turnovers and missed 3-point basket
in the final 1:32 of the game as Armstrong Atlantic missed a lay-up
and a pair of 3-point attempts. Clayton State’s Lynette Jackson
was fouled on an inbounds play with 5.4 seconds remaining, but she
missed the front end of a one-on-one opportunity. But Armstrong
Atlantic was unable to get off a shot before time expired. “Our
halfcourt defense was superb in the first half and we didn’t need
to bring the pressure as we normally do,” Cox said. “In the
second half, we needed that pressure and didn’t bring it.
Thankfully, we got the early lead and were able to protect it.” Sharon
Wiles paced the Lakers with 15 points, while Pritchett again was
stellar off the bench with 12 points. Ragin and Crystal Brown both
added 10 points for Clayton State. The
defeat by Armstrong Atlantic (15-14) offset a strong outing by
Gordon, who recorded her second straight double-double with 23
points and 17 rebounds. Willis scored 16 points for the Pirates.
The new poll was released on Tuesday and the Lakers advanced four spots to 18th in the nation, where they are tied with Florida Tech. Clayton State received 136 points in the new poll, and remains the lone Peach Belt Conference team that has been ranked in the Top 25 each week throughout the regular season.
Undefeated Florida Gulf Coast continues to hold down the top-ranked position in Division II.
Clayton
State plays next in the quarterfinals of the Peach Belt Conference
Tournament in Greenwood, S.C. The Lakers will meet the winner of
Wednesday’s USC-Upstate/Armstrong Atlantic game on Thursday at 3
p.m. |
wasn’t easy for the Clayton State Lakers in their quarterfinal
game of the 2007 Peach Belt Conference Tournament on Thursday.
Clayton State Laker women’s basketball team is ascending back up in
the USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 Coach’s Poll.