Morrow, GA – A furious comeback late in second half was not enough Tuesday, as the third-ranked Clayton State women's basketball team dropped its first game of the season, falling 74-65 to Union University at the Athletics Center.
The Lakers trailed by 25 points, 66-41, with 9:15 remaining before going on a 24-3 run to make things interesting in the final minutes. A layup on an inbounds play by junior forward Yishica Sims with 1:09 remaining cut the deficit to 69-65 but that was as close as the Lakers would come.
The Bulldogs came right back with a 3-pointer by junior guard Astrid Huttemann to push the lead back to seven points. The 3-pointer by Huttemann was her fourth of the contest and the 15th for Union in the game.
Clayton State had two chances on its ensuing possession but was unable convert. Union guard Amy Philamlee hit two free throws with 15 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
With the loss, the Lakers fall to 2-1 on the year. The regular season loss for Clayton State snaps a 36-game regular season winning streak for the Lakers. The last time Clayton State fell during the regular season was to Lander 59-57 on January 25th in 2012.
Union improves to 2-1 on the season. The Bulldogs, who are making the transition to NCAA Division II, tied for first last season in the Gulf South Conference and finished with a 22-9 mark.
The perimeter shooting of Union was the difference in Tuesday's game with the Bulldogs hitting 52 percent from 3-point territory (15-of-29). The squad finished the game at 48 percent (25-of-52) from the floor and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line.
Union freshman guard Chelsa Bodiford led the 3-point shooting for the Bulldogs, nailing 8-of-11 from three-point land and finished with a game high 26 points.
Clayton State trailed 36-28 at halftime.
For the Lakers, senior guard Bena Hanyard led the way with 18 points, hitting 6-of-10 from the floor. Sims and sophomore guard Tweety Hawkins each added 12 points. Senior forward Shay Jackson had eight points and five rebounds.
Clayton State shot 42 percent (25-of-59) from the floor, 33 percent (7-of-21) from 3-point territory and 57 percent (8-of-14) from the line.
Behind Bodiford's 26 points, Philamlee and Huttemann added 16 points for the Bulldogs. Philamlee came one rebound from a triple double with 10 assists and nine rebounds in the contest.
