MORROW, GA – Clayton State senior sensation Drameka Griggs poured in a career high 32 points Monday to lead the 4th-ranked Lakers to an 80-66 win over Francis Marion at the Athletics & Fitness Center.
Griggs' career night came on 12-of-21 shooting from the floor. She was a perfect 2-of-2 from 3-point land and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. The 5-5 guard, from Ellenwood, GA, also had seven rebounds and four steals. With the 32 points, Griggs now has 1,045 points for her career, which ranks eighth all-time at Clayton State.
"It was not our best defensive effort tonight, but I thought we did what we had to offensively to get the win," said head coach Dennis Cox. "I give Francis Marion credit for our defensive woes. They never let up and attacked us all game long. MeMe (Drameka) Griggs was fantastic again, and I thought our posts took advantage of our size."
The win improves Clayton State to 16-0 overall and 8-0 in Peach Belt Conference play. The loss drops Francis Marion 7-7 overall and 2-6 in league play. The Lakers will return to action on Thursday, hosting Young Harris in a 5:30 p.m. game.
Like Clayton State's win on Saturday over UNC Pembroke, the Lakers took control of the game late in the first half, this time with a 13-0 spurt.
Leading 28-25, forward Kayla Mobley started the run with five straight points. Her first came on a basket in the paint, followed by draining a trio of free throws. After a Patriot foul, Mobley made two free throws with 5:11 left to give the Lakers a 33-25 lead.
Griggs then came back with three quick baskets, the second one, a fast-break score that ended in a traditional three-point play. On the ensuing possession, she came up with another steal and converted it into another 3-point play on a fast-break layup. Griggs' free throw gave the squad a 16-point lead, 41-25, with four minutes left.
Clayton State maintained its double-digit lead for the rest of the half and led 46-33 at intermission.
In the second half, the Lakers pushed the lead to 21 points, 62-41, with a basket by Mobley with 13:31 remaining. Clayton State took its largest lead of the contest with 7:22 left, as Griggs gave the squad a 27-point advantage on two free throws.
Francis Marion made a late run in final five minutes and cut the Laker lead to 14 points on two different occasions but would come no closer.
Along with Griggs' career night, Mobley also enjoyed her second straight "double-double" with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Center Shacamra Jackson chipped in 10 points to go along with nine rebounds.
For Francis Marion, guard Tiara Gause scored 22 points, hitting 10-of-16 shots from the floor. Jasmine Williams-Hayes added 10 points for the Patriots.
The game was as a sloppy affair with 47 total turnovers with Clayton State committing 24 and Francis Marion 23. The Lakers took 14 more shots from the field, thanks winning the battle on the boards 48-28.
