Clayton State women rebound with convincing
82-67 victory over CIAA power Shaw
Humphrey, Brown each record double-doubles as 22^nd-ranked Lakers improve to 7-1

MORROW, Ga. --- DECEMBER 15, 2006 --- One game was all it took for the Clayton State Laker women’s basketball team to recover from its home-opening defeat against Delta State last Saturday. And that one game will go a long towards how the Lakers stack up in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region.

With Alecia Humphey and Crystal Brown both recording double-doubles, Clayton State made a strong statement within the region on Friday, winning convincingly 82-67 over visiting Shaw at the Athletics and Fitness Center. The victory improves the 22^nd-ranked Lakers to 7-1 overall.

Shaw, which has won three straight CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) championships and advanced to the “Elite Eight” of the NCAA Division II National Tournament each of the last two seasons, falls to 3-3.

“We beat a real good team today in Shaw,” said Clayton State head coach Dennis Cox. “We responded well tonight after last weekend. That’s not the real Shaw team that will be there in the end. They will get better.”

With Shaw pressuring the perimeter, the Lakers went with their inside attack and the duo of Humphrey and Brown responded. Humphrey, a senior center, had a career-high 23 points on 10-for-13 shooting from the field and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, while Brown, a senior forward, scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds as the Lakers dominated Shaw in the paint offensively.

Unlike its last two games, Clayton State set the tempo early in the first half. Trailing 20-19, Humphrey scored twice inside to give the Lakers a 23-20 lead, igniting an 18-3 Clayton State run over six minutes. The two big blows came on long 3-point baskets by reserve guard Basia Bukowska that gave the Lakers a 30-23 lead with 6:13 remaining.

Sharon Wiles’ 3-point basket at the 3:38 mark gave Clayton State a 36-23 lead, and the Lakers took their largest lead of the first half, 41-26 on Brown’s jump shot in the lane with 35 seconds remaining.

“We started out well and caused some turnovers that led to points,” Cox said. “They were so fast early and tough to match up against, but we responded. Basia played big in the first half – her minutes were huge.”

Utilizing its signature pressure defense, Clayton State extended its lead to as much as 23 points in the second half. Humphrey’s jump shot in the lane gave the Lakers their largest lead of the game 72-49 with six minutes remaining.

Shaw made a final push, going on a 13-0 run over the next three minutes. Celanese Bozeman cut the Clayton State lead to 72-62 with a 3-point basket at the 3:26 mark. However, Clayton State responded again with a quick 6-0 run as Humphrey scored twice on the baseline to put the game away.

In addition to Humphrey and Brown, Willes scored 16 points and dished out nine assists for Clayton State, while Shantel Ragin added nine points and eight rebounds. The Lakers forced Shaw into 31 turnovers and out-rebounded the Lady Bears 55-51.

For Shaw, Bozeman scored 14 points, followed by Erika Bailey with 13 points and LesLee Anderson scored 10 points.