Clayton State women "survive" with 63-57 victory at UNC-Pembroke
Hardeman scores 15 points as Lakers improve to 13-6 and 8-4 in Peach Belt Conference

PEMBROKE, N.C. – February 2, 2008 – Out of all the opposing venues in the Peach Belt Conference, the English Jones Center at UNC-Pembroke is the least favorite for Clayton State head women’s basketball coach Dennis Cox.

So it’s understandable why Cox was a bit relieved on Saturday after his Laker women held off a pesky UNC-Pembroke team 63-57 in a key Peach Belt Conference game. The victory was the second straight for Clayton State and the Lakers’ sixth in their last seven games.

Clayton State is now 13-6 overall and 8-4 in the Peach Belt.

"I was real worried about this one," said Cox. "(UNC-Pembroke head coach) John (Haskins) is such a good coach, and he always has his team prepared for us. The key was we made our shots, and that’s important because they like to sit back and dare you to shoot. It’s safe to say we survived."

Clayton State hit its shots in the first half, connecting on 10-for-19 from 3-point range for 53 percent, and 50 percent from the field. The Lakers led by as many as nine points early, and then took a 10-point lead 24-14 on Roberta Phillips’ 3-point basket with 8:24 remaining.

However, UNC-Pembroke answered with a 10-0 run. Talena Faison started the rally with a three-point play, followed by an inside lay-up by Natalie Ray. Kristen Hobbs followed with a 3-point basket, and a lay-up by JaToya Kemp tied the game for the Lady Braves 24-24 with 5:49 remaining.

That was when Clayton State finished out the half strong on a 16-4 run. Dominique Jennings, Phillips and Shanrika Hardeman each drained 3-point baskets for the Lakers, and another Jennings 3-point basket sent Clayton State in at halftime up 40-28.

Clayton State built the lead up to 14 points before UNC-Pembroke made another big run. Trailing 44-30, the Lady Braves went on a 17-3 rally utilizing Ray on the inside. The junior center scored three straight lay-ups, including the game-tying lay-up to make the score 47-47 with 12:11 mark.

That was the key moment in the game, however, as Ray went down with an ankle injury on the play.

With Ray out of the game, Clayton State went to work. Jennings answered with a 3-point basket, followed by a lay-up off another 3-point basket by Shantel Ragin. A lay-up by Ragin with 7:45 remaining gave the Lakers a 59-49 lead.

Ray re-entered the game and brought the Lady Braves back to with four points with two straight lay-ups, but that was as close as UNC-Pembroke would get.

"We defended better from that point (Ray’s injury)," Cox said. "Our zone was a big key. They are so tough to prepare for, and the stuff Pembroke runs against man defense is so good. This was one of the few times where we had to play at their pace."

Hardeman paced Clayton State with 15 points, while Phillips and Jennings each scored 11 points. In addition, Ragin and Arlanderia Whitlock each added nine points for the Lakers. Clayton State connected on a season-high 13 3-point baskets for the game.

For UNC-Pembroke (7-11, 2-9), Ray was tremendous with 24 points on a stellar 11-for-12 shooting from the field. Kemp scored 12 points for the Lady Braves.

Clayton State travels next to in-state rival Columbus State for a key Peach Belt Conference showdown on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.