Florence, SC – The Clayton State women's basketball team captured its third straight Peach Belt Conference win Monday, holding on for a 71-68 road victory over Francis Marion at the Smith University Center in Florence, SC.
Clayton State guard Kayla Pryce hit 1-of-2 free throws with five seconds remaining to seal the victory. FMU's Dee Gray had one final shot in the closing seconds to tie the game but her shot was off the mark.
The game was tight throughout the second half with six lead changes and the game tied on three different occasions. The largest lead by either team in the 20-minute half was six points.
With the game tied at 60 apiece, Clayton State took the lead for good with just under four minutes to go on two free throws by forward Shacamra Jackson. After a layup by Laker guard Tiayra Green, Francis Marion came back with a 3-pointer by guard Cy'erra Mills to cut the Clayton State lead to a single point, 64-63, with 2:51 left.
Jackson answered however with a basket and then hit two free throws to push the Laker lead to five points, 68-63, with 2:01 left. Francis Marion didn't go away though and after an exchange of two points, a 3-pointer by the Patriots' Chelsea Dukes with 29 seconds remaining cut the Laker lead to 70-68.
Both teams had turnovers on their ensuing possession, and the Lakers missed a couple of free throws with 18 seconds remaining. Pryce's free throw was the only scoring in the final 29 seconds of the contest.
Despite being in foul trouble and playing only 28 minutes, Jackson led the Laker attack with a season high 24 points, six rebounds, four blocks and three assists in the game. She was nearly perfect from the field, hitting 9-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
Center Andrea Benford posted a double-double in the game with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Green chipped in 13 points. Forward Kiana Morton had eight points and five boards, followed by center Gabrielle Bethel with six points and seven rebounds. Pryce dished off a season high nine assists.
With the win, the Lakers improve to 11-5 overall and 6-3 in Peach Belt action. Francis Marion drops to 10-5 and 5-4 in league play. The Lakers will return to action on Saturday, hosting North Georgia at the Athletics Center in a 1:30 p.m. game.
The Lakers raced out to an early first half lead behind the play of Jackson, as she scored the first seven points of the game. Francis Marion answered though, scoring eight unanswered points to take an 8-7 lead with 14:07 remaining in the period.
The lead went back-and-forth for the remainder of the half. Clayton State trailed 34-33 with under a minute to play, but the Lakers scored four straight points on baskets by Morton and Green to give the squad a 37-34 lead at halftime.
For Francis Marion, Mills led the attack with 20 points, six rebounds and five steals. Forward Alexia Bell added 13 points and seven boards, followed by guard Camille Dash with 11 points.
Clayton State shot 48 percent (25-of-52) from the floor, while Francis Marion hit 35 percent (23-of-66) from the field. Clayton State won the battle on the boards 41-38 and committed 18 turnovers compared to 17 for the Patriots. The Lakers controlled the inside, outscoring Francis Marion 44-20 in the paint.
