Morrow, GA – Behind the trio of Shacamra Jackson, Yishica Sims and Kiana Morton, the eighth-ranked Clayton State women's basketball team cruised to an 89-61 victory Saturday in the Loch Shop Thanksgiving Classic at the Athletics Center.
The three forwards scored 59 of Clayton State's 89 points in the win. Morton led the attack, pouring in a season high 21 points, while hitting 9-of-15 from the floor. She also pulled eight rebounds. Sims finished with 20 points, four rebounds and four steals, while Jackson came close to posting a triple-double with 18 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks.
"We were dominant in the post today," said head coach Dennis Cox. "It was really nice to have Kiana (Morton) find her comfort zone in our system. "Other than the end of both halves, I thought we played a solid game. We had better energy today and played Laker basketball."
With the win, the Lakers improve to 3-1 on the season, while Tusculum drops to 0-6. The Lakers will take off next week for finals before returning to action on Tuesday, December 10th. The squad will travel to Fort Valley for a 5:30 p.m. game.
In Saturday's contest, the Lakers led from the opening tip. The squad took a 10-point advantage seven minutes into the game as Sims converted a three-point play, giving the squad a 14-4 lead. Clayton State pushed its lead to 20 points with 6:37 remaining in the half on a basket in the paint by Jackson.
The Lakers extended their lead to 25 points, 42-17, on a jumper by forward Briah Woods with 19 seconds left only to have Tusculum close the half with five straight points. Clayton State led 42-22 at intermission.
In the second half, the Lakers extended their lead to 30 points at the 13:06 mark on a 3-pointer by guard Bena Hanyard and led by at least 28 points for the remainder of the game. A layup by Morton with 3:16 left gave the club a 37-point lead, 87-50, the team's largest advantage of the game.
Along with Morton, Sims and Jackson, Hanyard also finished in double digits with 12 points. She grabbed seven boards. Forward Andrea Benford added nine points, six rebounds and four steals.
For Tusculum, guard Shynese Whitener finished with 16 points, followed by forward Elise Coberly with 12 points and six rebounds. Guard Blakeley Burleson added 10 points.
The Laker defense held Tusculum to only 34 percent shooting (20-of-59) from the floor, while hitting 46 percent (38-of-83). Clayton State's defense forced Tusculum into 30 turnovers, while the Lakers committed 15. Clayton State held a 46-45 advantage on the boards.
