Clayton State falls 63-50 to Montevallo on Saturday in CBS's DII Game of the Week
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton St. (12-12 (8-9 PBC)) | 24 | 26 | 50 |
| Montevallo (16-8 (12-5 PBC)) | 26 | 37 | 63 |
| Trustmark Arena (Montevallo, Ala.) | |||
| Clayton St. | Montevallo |
|---|---|
| Pts: Charles Shedrick - 10 | Pts: Drico Hightower - 19 |
| Reb: Andrew Bachanov - 7 | Reb: Drico Hightower - 13 |
| Ast: Sirdarius Henry - 2 | Ast: Troran Brown - 8 |
| Team Statistics | Clayton St. | Montevallo |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 35.6% (16-45 ) | 41.4% (24-58 ) |
| Rebounds | 22 | 47 |
| Assists | 7 | 16 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 12 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 12 | 12 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 5 | 13 |
| Pts in the Paint | 10 | 22 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 21 | 1 |
Montevallo, AL – The Clayton State men's basketball team got off to a sluggish start to open the second half, and it cost them falling 63-50 to Montevallo Saturday in Alabama.
With the game tied at 26 apiece at intermission, Montevallo opened the second half with a 19-0 run over first seven minutes of the period to take control of the game. An offensive rebound and stick back by forward Drico Hightower gave the Falcons a 45-26 lead.
Montevallo's work on the offensive glass was the difference in the game, as the Falcons controlled the paint and out-rebounded Clayton State 18-4 in the game, leading to 13 more shot attempts. Hightower finished with a game high 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Clayton State made one late run and cut the deficit 14 points, 61-47, after a 3-pointer by center Andrew Bachanov and two free throws by forward Charles Shedrick with 3:09 remaining.
The Falcons answered with a basket in the paint by Hightower though to re-extend their lead 30 seconds later. Clayton State came back with a jumper by Sherick and got a free throw by forward Omari Murray to cut the lead 13 points, the eventual final score.
With the loss, Clayton State drops to 12-12 on the year and 8-9 in Peach Belt Conference play. Montevallo improves to 16-8 and 12-5 in the PBC. The game, which was the NCAA Division II Game of the Week and televised live on the CBS Sports Network, was the first time the Laker men have be on national television.
The Lakers will return to action next Saturday, hosting Georgia Southwestern in a 5:30 p.m. game. The game will be Senior Night at the Athletics & Fitness Center for the Clayton State basketball programs.
In the first half, the Lakers trailed by 11 points with 8:03 remaining in the period but battled back over the next seven minutes and took a 24-23 lead with 1:41 remaining on a jumper by Shedrick.
Shedrick led Clayton State with 10 points, followed by Bachanov and guard Tony Dukes with eight points apiece.
Behind Hightower's 19 points, guard Jonas Brown finished with 16 points, followed by guard Troran Brown with 13 points. Guard Ryan May chipped in 10 points.
The Lakers finished the game, hitting 36 percent (16-of-45) for the game but made only 7-of-24 shots (29 percent) in the second half. Clayton State also struggled from the free throw line, hitting 57 percent (13-of-23).
