Clayton State men gain needed momentum with thrilling 69-64 victory over Georgia College

Final	1	2	T
Georgia College (17-9, 10-7 PBC)	27	37	64
Clayton St. (16-10, 8-9 PBC)	31	38	69
Morrow, Ga. (Athletics & Fitness Center)

Georgia College	Clayton St.
Pts: Ryan Aquino - 25	Pts: Anthony Salter - 22
Reb: Ryan Aquino - 17	Reb: Andrew Bachanov - 10
Ast: 4 Players (#22, #21, #04, #10 - 3)	Ast: Anthony Salter - 5

Team Statistics	Georgia College	Clayton St.
Field Goal %	36.4% (24-66 )	39.0% (23-59 )
Rebounds	44	42
Assists	13	6
Turnovers	10	11
Pts off Turnovers	11	14
2nd Chance Pts	15	13
Pts in the Paint	16	20
Fastbreak Pts	2	6
Bench Pts	17	21

full stats

MORROW, Ga. – February 25, 2012 – Riding a two-game losing skid, the Clayton State Laker men's basketball team needed some momentum heading into next week's Peach Belt Conference Tournament. The Lakers got it on Saturday with a thrilling 69-64 Peach Belt Conference victory over visiting Georgia College on "Senior Night" at the Athletics and Fitness Center.

The victory concludes Clayton State's regular season at 16-10 overall and 8-9 in the Peach Belt. The Lakers sweep the season series against Georgia College for the first time since the 2004-05 season. The Bobcats fall to 17-9 overall and 10-7 in the Peach Belt.

Up next for Clayton State is the 2012 Peach Belt Conference Tournament at the Lumpkin Center at Columbus State on Friday. The Lakers will battle USC Aiken in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m.

After leading by four points 31-27 at halftime, it appeared as if Clayton State was in control early in the second half. Teondre Williams scored on a driving transition lay-up, and Georgia College's Tarrence Chatman was whistled for an intentional foul on the play. Williams sank both free throws, and then Juron Dobbs scored off the inbounds play to give Clayton State a 44-31 lead with 15:24 remaining.

That was the largest lead of the game for either team.

However, Georgia College responded with a 15-0 run. Quin Bivins drilled a 3-point basket, and Ryan Lively followed with two straight 3-point baskets to tie the game 44-44 with 9:06 remaining. A dunk off an offensive rebound by Mike Augustine gave the Bobcats a 46-44 lead at the 8:27 mark.

But Clayton State regained the lead for good as Tim Budd scored on a reverse lay-up with 5:12 remaining. Tony Dukes then drained a 3-point basket to give the Lakers a 55-49 lead at the 3:20 mark. After Georgia College cut the lead to three points, Clayton State responded again with two baskets in the paint by Anthony Salter and Andrew Bachanov to push the lead to seven points with 1:24 remaining.

Thanks to some key free throw shooting down the stretch, the Lakers twice extended their lead to eight points. Georgia College cut the deficit to three points, 67-64 on a Lively 3-point basket with seven seconds remaining. But Dukes sealed it with two key free throws for the Lakers.

Salter paced Clayton State with 22 points and five assists, while Williams scored 17 points. Dukes and Budd each added nine points, and Bachanov grabbed 10 rebounds for the Lakers. For the game, Clayton State shot 76 percent (19-for-25) from the free throw line, including 88 percent in the second half.

Senior forward Ryan Aquino recorded a double-double for Georgia College with 25 points and 17 rebounds. Augustine scored 12 points and Lively added nine points. Clayton State held the Bobcats to only 36 percent shooting from the field, including only 25 percent from 3-point range.