No. 2 Clayton State women start strong, roll past Armstrong 93-48

Final	1	2	T
Clayton St. (18-1, 8-0 PBC)	42	51	93
Armstrong (10-7, 5-5 PBC)	21	27	48
Savannah, Ga. (Alumni Arena)

Clayton St.	Armstrong
Pts: Tanisha Woodard - 16	Pts: Mauri Wells - 12
Reb: Tanisha Woodard - 9	Reb: Mauri Wells - 12
Ast: Brittany Hall - 6	Ast: Dee Hayward - 4

Team Statistics	Clayton St.	Armstrong
Field Goal %	50.7% (38-75 )	26.7% (16-60 )
Rebounds	43	49
Assists	21	10
Turnovers	12	29
Pts off Turnovers	29	12
2nd Chance Pts	17	14
Pts in the Paint	54	28
Fastbreak Pts	22	10
Bench Pts	36	8

full stats

SAVANNAH, Ga. – January 21, 2012 – The Clayton State Laker women's basketball team scored the first 16 points of the game on Saturday and never looked back as the Lakers rolled to an impressive 93-48 victory at Armstrong in Peach Belt Conference action.

The victory is the 15^th straight for Clayton State, which is ranked No. 2 in Division II. The Lakers are now 18-1 overall and 8-0 in the Peach Belt. Armstrong falls to 10-7 overall and 5-5 in the Peach Belt.

"We really executed well, and played with a lot of energy and focus today," said Clayton State head coach Dennis Cox. "We really clicked on all cylinders offensively and it was a real good effort."

Clayton State had a tremendous offensive output. It's the most points scored in a game this season for the Lakers, and the most in a game since scoring 97 points last season against Barton in the second round of the NCAA Division II National Tournament. The Lakers shot 51 percent from the field against Armstrong.

The Lakers' Tanisha Woodard hit two 3-point baskets, and sophomore center Shacamra Jackson scored twice in the paint in the first five minutes of the contest. A lay-up by senior guard Brittany Hall gave the Lakers a 16-0 lead at the 14:55 before the Lady Pirates finally got on the scoreboard on a jumper by Demisha Mills at the 14:07 mark.

Clayton State never let Armstrong get closer than 12 points in the first half, and twice extended its lead to 21 points. Genesis Kelly's jumper gave the Lakers a 34-13 lead at the 3:02 mark, and a lay-up by Jackson with four seconds remaining gave Clayton State a 42-21 lead at halftime.

"We got off to a real good start, and that's important on the road," Cox said. "We just played two real good halves – without a doubt our best two halves offensively so far this season."

Clayton State shot 61 percent from the field in the second half as the Lakers pulled away. Clayton State started with a 13-2 run, highlighted by a 3-point play from Kayla Mobley, followed by a lay-up and jumper by reserve center Shannon Smith. A jumper by Keona Dixon gave Clayton State a 57-28 lead at the 14:40 mark.

The Lakers broke it open with an 18-0 run late push the lead to a whopping 45 points. Hall and Brandice Howard both drained 3-point baskets. Woodard's jumper gave Clayton State an 82-39 lead at the 5:42 mark. Clayton State's largest lead was 49 points, 88-39 on a lay-up by Dixon with 2:21 remaining.

Woodard paced a balanced Laker scoring attack with 16 points, nine rebounds and six steals, while Dixon scored 15 points off the bench. Jackson and Hall each scored 13 points, while Hall also dished out six assists. Hall is now only 10 points shy of becoming the eighth player in Laker women's basketball history to reach 1,000 career points.

Smith added nine points for Clayton State.

For Armstrong, both Mills and Mauri Wells each recorded double-doubles. Wells scored 12 points with 12 rebounds, and Mills scored 11 points with 11 rebounds.

Clayton State plays host to rival Lander on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Athletics and Fitness Center.