Late rally comes up short for Clayton State women at Armstrong Atlantic, 67-63
St. Fort scores 21 points as Lakers fall to 15-8 overall and 10-6 in Peach Belt Conference

SAVANNAH, Ga. – February 18, 2008 – There was no quit in the Clayton State Laker women’s basketball on Monday in its Peach Belt Conference showdown at Armstrong Atlantic. However, the Lakers’ late rally proved all for not as Armstrong Atlantic hit some big shots late in the game and pulled off a 67-63 stunner over Clayton State at Alumni Arena.

The defeat drops Clayton State to 15-8 overall and 10-6 in the Peach Belt. It’s also the first defeat for the Lakers against Armstrong Atlantic since the 2003-04 season.

"A sign of a good team is one that has a chance to win even if it’s playing poorly, and we had a chance," said Clayton State head coach Dennis Cox. "However, Armstrong Atlantic deserved to win because they played harder than us. Defensively, we didn’t guard, and that’s not us."

Clayton State twice trailed by as many as 14 points in the game, including 47-33 with 12:24 remaining in the game. However, the Lakers battled back.

Marie St. Fort ignited a 16-4 Clayton State run with a 3-point play at the 4:21 mark. Two more St. Fort free throws were followed by a long Dominique Jennings 3-point basket to trim the Lady Pirate lead to 59-56 with 3:39 remaining.

Twice, Armstrong Atlantic increased its lead to three points before St. Fort drained a 3-point basket from the corner to tie the game 63-63 with 1:01 remaining.

But Jasmine Herron delivered the back-breaker for Clayton State as she banked an off-balanced 3-point basket as the shot clock expired to give Armstrong Atlantic a 66-63 lead with 31 seconds remaining.

St. Fort scored 21 points to pace Clayton State, while Ragin recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jennings added 11 points for the Lakers.

Lacey Willis paced Armstrong Atlantic (15-9, 9-8 PBC) with 22 points. She scored 13 of those points in the first half as the Lady Pirates used an early 14-0 run to lead 35-24 at halftime. Herron finished the game with 13 points, while Kaneetha Gordon added nine points and nine rebounds for Armstrong Atlantic.

Clayton State returns home on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. Peach Belt Conference showdown against in-state rival North Georgia at the Athletics and Fitness Center.