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Despite all the hype and anticipation, the result wasn’t what the Lakers expected as Clayton State dropped a 69-57 decision to the Lady Statesmen. The defeat was the first of the season for Clayton State, now 6-1 on the season. Delta State improves to 7-1 with its seventh straight victory.
“Delta State may be the toughest team we play this season,” said Clayton State head coach Dennis Cox. “In terms of playing a game like this so early in the season, it helps us. We learned some things about ourselves today, and we will learn from this.”
One thing that was learned by the Lakers was never giving up in tough situations. Clayton State trailed 41-23 at halftime, but rallied to make a game of it in the second half, just like it has in all previous six games on the road.
A 3-point play by Nikkisha Pritchett trimmed the Lady Statesmen lead to 36-34 with 12:10 remaining in the game. After Delta State increased the lead back to 14 points, Clayton State responded with seven straight points. Crystal Brown started the rally with a 3-point basket, followed by a jump shot in the lane by Roberta Phillips.
Sharon Wiles’ lay-up in transition brought the Lakers to within seven points, 50-43 with eight minutes remaining. Wiles connected again with a jump shot in the lane to cut the Delta State lead to 52-45 with 7:32 remaining
That, however, was as close as the Lakers would get. Natalie Ellington answered with a 3-point basket, followed by a baseline jump shot by Kristen McBride to increase the Lady Statesmen lead to 60-47 at the 5:59 mark.
The difference in the game was the play of Delta State guard Jennifer Rushing, who scored 10 first half points for the Lady Statesmen and set the tone for a strong half for Delta State.
The Lady Statesmen went up by 14 points 24-10 on a Rushing 3-point play, and then increased the lead to as much as 21 points. Jessica Boyd’s 3-point basket gave Delta State a commanding 37-16 lead with 3:43 remaining.
The closest that Clayton State cut the Lady Statesmen deficit after that was 16 points as Delta State held a 41-23 lead at halftime.
“I blame myself for that first half,” Cox said. “The last seven or eight minutes during that period really hurt us. We couldn’t score and then we broke down some defensively.”
Wiles paced Clayton State with 14 points, while Brown scored 12 points and Lynette Jackson added 10 points. For the game, the Lakers shot an impressive 85 percent (11-for-13) from the free throw line.
Rushing scored 17 points for Delta State, while Boyd scored 11 points and Renita Jones added 10 points off the bench. The Lady Statesmen controlled the boards, out-rebounding Clayton State 46-32.
Clayton State returns to action against another NCAA Division II power, Shaw, on Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. at the Athletics and Fitness Center. |
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opener in the history of Clayton State women’s basketball. The
Lakers, ranked 21st in the nation, welcomed 11th-ranked
Delta State to the Athletics and Fitness Center for what could be a
preview of things to come in March.