10^th-ranked Clayton State women drop 73-60 Top 10 showdown at second-rated Delta State
Ragin paces 5-2 Lakers with 13 points, eight rebounds

CLEVELAND, Miss. – Dec. 9, 2007 — In the first of two straight showdowns against fellow Division II Top 10 programs, the Clayton State Laker women’s basketball team dropped a tough 73-60 decision at second-ranked Delta State on Sunday at Sillers Coliseum.

The defeat snapped a two-game winning streak for the Lakers, who are now 5-2 overall on the 2007-08 season. Next up for Clayton State is another Top 10 showdown, this time at eighth-ranked and defending Division II National Champion Southern Connecticut State next Sunday (Dec. 16) at 2 p.m.

Unlike last season’s matchup (a 69-57 Delta State victory at Clayton State) when the Lady Statesmen used the strength of their speedy point guard Jennifer Rushing, Delta State used its tremendous inside attack as the fuel for victory on Sunday. The Lady Statesmen, behind the strong duo of forwards Brittani Calhoun and Lakira Boyd, scored 46 of their 73 points in the paint.

Clayton State stayed close with Delta State in the early stages of the contest. After the Lady Statesmen jumped out to an early 11-3, Clayton State countered with an 8-0 run as Marie St. Fort drained a 3-point basket and Roberta Phillips and Shanrika Hardeman both scored in the paint. Lisa Jackson’s free throw at the 8:57 marked tied the game at 11-11.

However, Delta State finished the half on a 23-8 run to lead 34-19 at halftime. The Lady Statesmen went on a 14-1 run over a four-minute span as Boyd scored eight points during the rally. Delta State’s largest lead of the first half was 16 points, 32-16 on two Kristen McBride free throws with a minute remaining.

The Lady Statesmen didn’t let up any in the second half, building the lead to as much as 26 points on two occasions, Boyd’s jump shot with 5:07 remaining gave Delta State a commanding 70-44 lead.

However, Clayton State made it respectable in the late minutes. The Lakers went on a 16-3 run to close it out as Jackson scored six points during the rally.

Shantel Ragin paced Clayton State with 13 points and eight rebounds, followed by Dominique Jennings with 11 points. Hardeman and Jackson each added nine points. Cold shooting hurt Clayton State as the Lakers managed only 32 percent shooting from the field, including only 20 percent from 3-point range