Tampa, FL – After pulling out a close one on Friday, the #3 Clayton State women's basketball team came back with a decisive victory on Saturday, defeating Tampa 64-48 in the Spartan Challenge.
The Lakers took control of the game in the opening period, taking a 37-17 lead at halftime. Clayton State used a 23-8 run over the final 11 minutes of the period en route to the victory.
Junior forward Yishica Sims ignited the run with a 3-ponter at the 10:53 mark to give the squad a 17-8 lead, while senior center Shacamra Jackson had six points during the game-changing stretch. A layup by forward Andrea Benford gave the Lakers a 20-point lead at intermission.
In the second half of the game, the Lakers led by double digits for the entire 20 minutes of the period.
"I was really proud of the way of the way our kids guarded today," said head coach Dennis Cox. "Tampa is a really good team with a lot of size, and we knew it would take our best effort to get a win."
Laker sophomore guard Tweety Hawkins shined in the game, leading the Lakers with 16 points and hitting 7-of-11 from the floor. Jackson finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Sims chipped in eight points.
"Shay (Jackson) controlled the paint, and we got great contributions from newcomers Tweety Hawkins and Tiayra Green," said Cox. "It was just a good win for this new team. I thought we took a big step towards finding ourselves and creating our own identity today."
With the win, the Lakers improve to 2-0 overall on the season. Clayton State extends its regular season winning streak to 36 games, dating back to the 2011-12 season. The program is also riding a 33-game road winning streak. The loss evens Tampa to 1-1 on the year.
Clayton State's signature defense held Tampa to under 30 percent (13-of-44) shooting for the game and only 21 percent (4-of-21) in first half. The Lakers shot 49 percent (9-of-22) in the first half and 46 percent (25-of-55) for the game.
For Tampa, Keke Jones led the squad with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Clayton State will return to action Wednesday, November 13th for its annual alumni game at 7:30 p.m. The Lakers will open their home schedule on Tuesday, November 19th, hosting Union in a 5:30 p.m. contest at the Athletics Center.
