2007-08 Clayton State women’s basketball schedule has "national championship" flavor
Trips to defending Division II National Champion Southern Connecticut State, traditional Division II power Delta State highlight Laker slate

2007-08 Clayton State Women's Basketball Schedule
MORROW, Ga. – August 30, 2007 – Fresh off the best season in program history, the Clayton State Laker women’s basketball team is aiming even bolder for the 2007-08 season.

Head coach Dennis Cox officially released the Lakers’ 2007-08 schedule on Thursday, and it proves to be one of the more challenging for Clayton State in recent seasons. The Lakers are coming off a 29-6 mark from last season, winning both the Peach Belt Conference regular season and tournament championships and advancing to the "Final Four" of the 2007 NCAA Division II National Tournament.

Highlighting this season’s schedule will be two consecutive Sundays in December when the Lakers face two of the top programs in Division II. On Dec. 9, Clayton State travels to perennial Division II power Delta State, which has won three Division II championships in its program history. The following Sunday (Dec. 16), the Lakers head north for what could be one of the more highly anticipated match-ups in Division II this season when Clayton State squares off against defending Division II national champion Southern Connecticut State.

"We are excited for the challenges that this year’s schedule presents to our team," said Cox, who is 79-19 entering his fourth season at the Clayton State helm. "We have the opportunity to play two of last year’s top 10 teams in the country on their home courts on consecutive Sunday afternoons in December. That will define where we are before we get into the meat of our conference schedule in January and February."

It will mark the first ever game between Clayton State and Southern Connecticut State, but the second straight season that the Lakers have faced Delta State. Last season, the Lady Statesmen knocked off Clayton State 69-57 at the Athletics and Fitness Center.

"Delta State came into our place last year ranked tenth in the nation and handed us our first loss, and did so in pretty convincing fashion," Cox said. "It will be good to see how we measure up with them this year.

"It only gets tougher a week later when we fly to Southern Connecticut to play last year’s national champion to cap off the toughest non-conference schedule in our history."

The strength of the non-conference schedule doesn’t stop with Delta State and Southern Connecticut State. The Lakers open the season at the Eagle Club Classic at Carson-Newman on Nov. 16-17 in Jefferson City, Tenn. Clayton State plays Lincoln Memorial on Nov. 16, followed by Carson-Newman, who Clayton State eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Division II National Tournament last season, on Nov. 17.

The home opener is against Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) contender Tuskegee on Nov. 20, and Clayton State also will host the annual Heritage Bank Holiday Classic on Dec. 29 and 30 against Lenoir-Rhyne from the SAC and Fayetteville State from the CIAA.

The Peach Belt Conference schedule will be a full slate of home-and-home match-ups, and the Lakers will face some tough challenges early. Clayton State opens Peach Belt play on Nov. 24 at home against defending Peach Belt North Division champion USC-Aiken, followed by a big early-season showdown at Georgia College on Nov. 28.

Clayton State defeated Georgia College four times last season, including in the South Atlantic Regional championship to advance to the NCAA Division II "Elite Eight." Clayton State then plays host to UNC-Pembroke on Dec. 1, before re-starting the bulk of the Peach Belt slate in early January.

"We all know how strong our Peach Belt opponents will be, but I think this year especially, the league will be the toughest it’s since been since I’ve been here," Cox said. "The majority of last year’s premier players in the league were juniors and return for their last go. The three conference games in eight days before Christmas make early preparation a key this year.

"We definitely have our work cut out for us."