Fort Valley, GA – The 7th-ranked Clayton State women's basketball team picked up a hard-fought road victory Tuesday, defeating non-conference opponent Fort Valley State 80-66 in Fort Valley, GA.
The Lakers outscored the Wildcats 26-8 over the final nine minutes of the game for the win. Trailing 58-54 with 8:44 remaining in the contest, the Lakers went on a 15-0 run over the next four minutes to take control of the game.
Senior forward Kiana Morton ignited the Lakers with a basket and scored four points during the game-deciding stretch, while sophomore center Andrea Benford capped the run and scored six points during the run. Benford's basket, two of her game-high 20 points, gave the Lakers an 11-point lead, 69-58, with 4:25 remaining.
Fort Valley cut the deficit to eight points, 72-64, with 1:44 remaining but the Lakers scored eight unanswered points to seal the victory. Benford scored five of the final eight points for the Lakers, who led by as many as 16.
With the win, the Lakers improve to 4-1 overall, while Fort Valley drops to 1-6 on the season. Clayton State will return to action on Saturday, hosting Georgia Southwestern in a 1:30 p.m. at the Athletics Center. The game will be the Peach Belt Conference opener for the Lakers.
Fort Valley led much of the first half and by as many as nine points, 30-21, with 6:38 remaining until intermission. Clayton State came back and tied the score on a couple of occasions only to have the Wildcats take a 38-37 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Wildcats led by as many as six points until the Clayton State answered midway through the period. The Lakers tied the game at 50 apiece after a layup by Morton coming off a block from junior forward Yishica Sims with 11:10 remaining in the game.
Fort Valley re-claimed the lead as Antionna Jefferson drained a 3-pionter to give Wildcats a 53-50 lead, setting up Clayton State's comeback minutes later.
Benford's 20 points came on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. Senior forward Shacamra Jackson added 18 points, which included 10-of-11 from the free throw line. She also finished with 11 rebounds, four blocks and four steals.
Morton added 15 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore guard Kayla Pryce scored 11 points.
For Fort Valley, Jefferson scored 16 points, followed D'Ambria Thomas with 13 points. Carmenonique Dawson chipped in 10 points, while Briana Sheperd had eight points and 11 rebounds.
Clayton State shot 42 percent (26-of-62) from the floor, while holding Fort Valley to 35 percent (23-of-66). The Lakers won the rebound battle 47-40 and each team had 19 turnovers.
