Columbus, GA – The 7th-ranked Clayton State women's basketball picked up an important Peach Belt Conference road victory Tuesday, and in process, captured a milestone victory for head coach Dennis Cox.
The Lakers defeated conference rival Columbus State 79-69 at Columbus' Lumpkin Center and Cox won his 250th NCAA Division II game. In his 10th season at Clayton State, the victory gives the Laker head coach an incredible 250-50 record at the school. He ranks among the winningest NCAA Division II coaches in the country and reached the milestone with an impressive .833 winning percentage.
In Tuesday's game, Clayton State held off a late Columbus State rally for the conference victory. After the Lakers led by 17 points, 65-48, with 9:09 remaining in the game, the Cougars cut the deficit to six points with 4:01 remaining.
Clayton State answered though as Laker forward Yishica Sims provided the offensive firepower down the stretch, scoring six of team's next seven points. She gave the team an 11-point lead, 75-64, with 40 seconds remaining. Coming off the bench, Sims scored a team high 20 points, hitting 7-of-13 from the field.
"It was a hard fought win against a very good Columbus team," said Cox. "We battled foul trouble the entire game and made plays late in the game when we needed them to close it out. Shay (Jackson) was huge again inside and Yishica (Sims) made big plays on the perimeter for us."
With the win, the Lakers improve to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in PBC play. Columbus State drops to 6-2 overall and 1-1 in league play. Clayton State will return to action Friday, hosting Southern Poly in the Heritage Bank Holiday Classic. Tip-off for the game at the Athletics Center is 5:30 p.m.
Clayton State never trailed in the game and pushed its lead to double-digits 22-10 midway through the first half on a 3-pointer by guard Bena Hanyard. The Lakers maintained a 12-point advantage at the four-minute mark on a basket by forward Kiana Morton only to have Columbus State close the half on a run.
The Cougars outscored the Lakers 14-4 to close the half and trimmed the Clayton State lead to 34-32 at intermission. Columbus State opened the second half with a basket to knot the score at 34 apiece, but Lakers came back with a 10-1 run over the next 3:30 to re-extend the lead. A basket by guard Tiayra Green gave the Lakers a 44-35 lead with 16:29 mark.
Behind Sims' 20 points, forward Shacamra Jackson posted her second "double-double" of the year with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Hanyard added 14 points, followed by center Andrea Benford with 12 points and eight boards. Morton chipped in nine points.
For Columbus State, Asha Alexander scored a game high 21 points, followed by Britteny Tatum with 14 points.
Clayton State controlled the lane, outscoring the Cougars 38-26 in the paint and scored 25 points off of Columbus State turnovers. The Lakers shot 43 percent (31-of-72) from the floor and held the Cougars to 39 percent (26-of-67). Clayton State held a 49-46 advantage on the boards and forced the Columbus State into 23 turnovers, while committing 20.
