MORROW, GA – The 3rd-ranked Clayton State women's basketball team pushed its record 17-0 on the season Thursday, cruising to an 85-61 win over Young Harris at the Athletics & Fitness Center.

 Leading 43-31 at halftime, the Lakers opened the second period with an 11-3 run to take a 54-34 lead with 16 minutes remaining in the game. Two free throws by guard Kayla Pryce jump-started the run, followed by a steal and layup by guard Keona Dixon.

 After a basket by Young Harris' Beranna Gleeson, guard Bena Hanyard drained a 3-pointer to give the Lakers a 50-33 advantage. Young Harris came back with a free throw only to have Pryce score on a layup to cap the run and give the team a 20-point lead.

 Young Harris cut the Laker lead to 17 points at the 14:40 mark, but the Lakers answered with another big run, this time outscoring the Mountain Lions 16-4 over the next four minutes. An old-fashioned 3-point play on a driving move in the lane by center Shannon Smith gave the Lakers an insurmountable 70-41 advantage with 10:06 left in the contest.

 The Lakers took their largest lead of the game, 85-53, on an offensive rebound and stick-in by forward Auburn Randolph in the final minutes of the game.

 "I was really pleased to see our balanced scoring tonight," said head coach Dennis Cox. "We had a number of players contribute in the win. I thought Kayla Mobley played great in the second half defensively on (Ladondra) Johnson. Her defensive play allowed us to push the lead out."

 With the win, the Lakers improve to 10-0 in Peach Belt Conference play, while Young Harris drops to 10-6 overall and 4-5 in the league. Clayton State will return to action on Saturday, traveling to face North Georgia in a PBC contest.

 "Keona (Dixon) kept us in the game in the first half," said Cox. "It was nice to see her come back and play well. It is a real emotional boost to our team."

 Forward Kayla Mobley led the Lakers with 15 points, hitting 7-of-9 shots from the floor, to go along with seven rebounds. Dixon scored a season-high 14 points, followed by Pryce with 13 points and six assists. Smith and Hanyard each chipped in 10 points.

 For Young Harris, forward Ladondra Johnson, the Peach Belt's leading scorer, finished with 15 points.

 Clayton State shot well from the field, hitting 46 percent (35-of-76), while the Mountain Lions hit 40 percent (23-of-57). Clayton State had 20 offensive rebounds, compared to only 14 for Young Harris. The Lakers also won the turnover battle, committing 11 compared to 20 for YHC.