San Antonio, TX – The No. 1 ranked Clayton State women's basketball team's season came to an end Tuesday at the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, falling 81-68 to #24 Augustana in San Antonio, TX on the campus of St. Mary's University.
Augustana led 32-25 at halftime of the game before exploding in the first seven minutes of the second half to take control of the game at Bill Greehey Arena. The Vikings went on a 24-8 run to open the period and took a 23-point lead, 56-33, on a three-pointer by Ashley Johnson with 13:08 remaining in the game.
The Lakers made a furious comeback late in the second half to cut it to single digits but were unable overcome the early second half deficit. The loss ends a historic season for the Lakers, which entered the game on a 32-game winning streak, the best in school history.
Augustana's height advantage gave the Lakers trouble on the offensive end, as the Lakers hit a season low 33 percent (25-of-77) of shots from the floor. The Vikings shot well from the field, hitting 53 percent (28-of-53), the highest of any team Clayton State has faced this year. Augustana also made 59 percent (10-of-17) from behind the 3-point arc en route to the victory.
"I thought their height affected us today," said head coach Dennis Cox. "We were able to get the ball to the rim but we were unable to finish. They played really well today, and beat us one thru five. Usually when we force 32 turnovers and get 20 steals, we come out on the winning end. I give Augustana a lot of credit and wish them luck."
The Lakers got 24 more shot attempts from the field than the Vikings thanks to the 32 turnovers and a 16-6 advantage in offensive rebounds but were unable to capitalize on the offensive end. The Lakers were also hurt by poor free throw shooting, making 12-of-25 from the charity stripe.
Trailing by 24 points with 7:34 remaining, Clayton State came storming back late in the game with a 21-4 run to cut the deficit to seven points. Guard Bena Hanyard led the charge scoring nine straight points, including two long-range three-pointers. A free throw by Hanyard with 1:25 remaining cut the lead to 71-64, but the Vikings drained 6-of-6 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Clayton State's Drameka Griggs, who was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American team last night at the Elite Eight banquet, led the Lakers with 22 points, followed by center Shacamra Jackson with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Hanyard finished with 16 points and eight steals and was pivotal in Clayton State's late comeback attempt.
For Augustana, the Vikings had a balanced attack with five players in double-digits. Shaunteva Ashley led the way with 17 points, followed by Faith Tinklenberg with 15 points. Alex Feeney added 14 points. Emily Schulte scored 11 and Cami Koehn chipped in 10 points.
The 2012-13 season marked the ninth straight season that the Lakers have advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament, having won the regional on four different occasions in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. Clayton State won the 2010-11 NCAA Division II Women's National Championship.
The Clayton State women's basketball program is 96-6 (.950) over the last three years, the top winning percentage of any program at the NCAA Division II level.
