#3 Clayton State women cruise to 83-51 win on Homecoming
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montevallo (13-10; 8-6) | 18 | 33 | 51 |
| Clayton St. (22-0; 15-0) | 37 | 46 | 83 |
| Morrow, GA | |||
| Montevallo | Clayton St. |
|---|---|
| Pts: Trena Moore-Smith - 16 | Pts: Drameka Griggs - 23 |
| Reb: Taylor Beverly - 8 | Reb: Kayla Mobley - 10 |
| Ast: Trena Moore-Smith - 6 | Ast: 3 Players (#12, #23, #32 - 4) |
| Team Statistics | Montevallo | Clayton St. |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 32.7% (18-55 ) | 48.0% (36-75 ) |
| Rebounds | 29 | 37 |
| Assists | 11 | 22 |
| Turnovers | 28 | 12 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 6 | 40 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 15 |
| Pts in the Paint | 24 | 54 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 8 | 24 |
| Bench Pts | 13 | 40 |
MORROW, GA – The 3rd-ranked Clayton State women's basketball team shot well from the floor and forced 31 Montevallo turnovers Saturday on homecoming to cruise to a 83-51 victory at the Athletics & Fitness Center.
Clayton State finished the game, hitting 48 percent (36-of-75) from floor, while the Laker defense, which ranks among the nation's best, held the Falcons to only 33 percent (18-of-55) from the floor.
The Lakers took control of the game in the final seven minutes of the first half. Up by three points with 7:20 remaining, the undefeated CSU squad went on a 21-2 run and took a commanding 22-point lead on a layup by forward Jessica Covington with 13 seconds remaining the period. Montevallo's Trena Moore-Smith drilled 3-pointer from just inside half-court to trim the Laker lead to 37-18 at intermission.
Senior guard Drameka Griggs keyed the Laker run with nine of her game-high 23 points in the run and also had three steals, setting up Clayton State baskets.
In the second half, Montevallo cut the Laker lead to 13 points but could come no closer. Leading 50-37 with 11:07 left, Clayton State went on 21-3 run over the next the five minutes to seal the victory. Griggs capped the run with a steal and lay-up at the 5:50 mark to give the Lakers a 31-point lead, 71-40. The Lakers pushed the lead to as many as 36 points in final minutes of the contest.
"We played really well in spurts tonight," said head coach Dennis Cox. "We're still looking for consistency in our play but when we were good tonight we were very good. MeMe (Drameka Griggs) was dynamic as usual, our posts did a good defensively, and I thought Kayla Mobley played her best game to date as a Laker."
With the win, Clayton State improves to 22-0 and 15-0 in Peach Belt Conference play. The loss drops Montevallo to 13-10 overall and 8-6 in league play. The Lakers will return to action on Thursday, February 14th, traveling to face Georgia College in Milledgeville, GA.
Griggs' 23 points came on 10-of-16 shooting. Along with six steals, she also had four assists. Forward Kayla Mobley finished with a "double-double" with 15 points and 10 rebounds. She also added four assists and two steals.
For Montevallo, Moore-Smith finished with game-high 16 points, followed by Taylor Beverly with 14 points.
