Morrow, GA – The Clayton State women's basketball team played one of its best offensive games of the season Saturday against the top team in the Peach Belt, and it resulted in a big conference victory at the Athletics Center.
Clayton State defeated 19th-ranked North Georgia 88-70 at Mason Barfield Court and is now only a game back in the loss column to the Nighthawks and Young Harris in the league standings. The Lakers shot a season high 53 percent (32-of-60) from the floor in the victory.
"I was proud of the way our kids hung in there after a sluggish start today," said head coach Dennis Cox. "Our posts played big on both ends and our guards did a good job finding them. It was a good team win against an excellent opponent. We know we were fortunate to catch them on a tough turn-around, having played a hard game on the road Thursday. We are grateful for the win."
Behind the one-two punch of forward Shacamra Jackson and center Andrea Benford, the Lakers won the battle on the inside outscoring the Nighthawks 50-28 in the paint. Jackson finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, while Benford had 22 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks, five steals and four assists.
The Lakers took control of the game midway through the second half with a 9-2 run over a three minute stretch. Leading 56-49 with 12:08 remaining, Jackson opened the run with two free throws, followed by a basket in the paint by Benford.
After two free throws by North Georgia guard Stephanie Huffman, Clayton State rattled off four more points. Two free throws by guard Bena Hanyard, followed by a North Georgia turnover and then a basket in the paint by Jackson gave the Lakers a 14-point lead, 65-51, with 9:18 remaining.
Clayton State maintained its double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest. A layup by North Georgia's Jordan Livesay cut the deficit to 12 points with 4:44 remaining but Clayton State followed with an 8-1 run to seal the game. A jumper in the paint by Benford gave the Lakers a 19-point advantage, 82-63, with 2:40 remaining.
The Lakers pushed their lead to a game-high 20 points in the final seconds on a layup by forward Kiana Morton.
With the win, Clayton State improves to 12-5 overall and 7-3 in Peach Belt play. North Georgia drops to 14-3 overall and 8-2 in the league. Clayton State will return to action on Wednesday, traveling to face Georgia College in a 5:30 p.m. contest.
Clayton State trailed by 14 points, 36-22, with 5:18 left in the first half after a 3-pointer by Nighthawk guard Molly Rainwater. The Lakers battled back over the remainder of the period thanks to an 18-5 run. A 3-pointer by guard Tweety Hawkins in the closing seconds of the half cut the North Georgia lead to 41-40 at intermission.
Behind the "double-double" performances of Jackson and Benford, Hanyard finished with 16 points, three assists and three steals. Forward Kiana Morton added 13 points and five boards.
For North Georgia forward Mimi Hill finished with 23 points and eight boards, followed by Huffman with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
The Laker defense held North Georgia to 37 percent (25-of-67) shooting from the floor and forced the Nighthawks into 17 turnovers. The Lakers committed 16 turnovers but did hold a 23-16 advantage on points off turnovers. The Lakers held a 40-33 edge on the boards and held a 16-4 lead in second chance points.
