HICKORY, NC – The Clayton State women's basketball season came to an end Friday, falling 75-65 to Limestone in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championships in Hickory NC.
Trailing by seven points with 4:52 remaining, a 3-pointer by Laker guard Kayla Pryce cut the Limestone lead to four points but that was as close as Clayton State would come in the final minutes.
After both teams missed shots, Limestone answered with a basket by Ayshia McNeil and then went 1-of-2 on two straight possessions from the free throw line to extend on its lead to 68-60 with 2:11 remaining in the game.
Clayton State's Pryce came back with two free throws with 1:23 left to cut the deficit to six points, but Limestone rattled off four more points on a basket by Precilla Hill and then two free throws by Jasmine Kearse to take 10-point lead.
Laker guard Tweety Hawkins drained a 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining but Limestone went 3-of-4 from the charity stripe in the final seconds to seal the victory.
"I knew today was a going to be a difficult test against an excellent Limestone team," said head coach Dennis Cox. "They entered the tournament playing some of their best basketball of the season, winning their conference tournament. Sometimes basketball comes down to who hits shots, and they hit the big shots down the stretch."
Clayton State trailed 32-29 at intermission. The game went back-and-forth in the first five minute of the second half until the Lakers pushed their lead to six points, 44-38, on a 3-point play by forward Shacamra Jackson with 14 minutes remaining.
Limestone came right back with an 11-3 run and re-took the lead after a 3-pointer by Kearse with 9:22 remaining. Clayton State tied the game at 49 apiece on two free throws by guard Bena Hanyard only to have Kearse answer with another 3-pointer to give the Saints a 52-49 advantage. Limestone led the remainder of the contest.
The game was tight throughout with nine lead changes and the scored tied on five occasions. Clayton State's largest lead was seven points in the first half, and Limestone's largest lead of 10 points occurred in the final minute.
Hanyard led Clayton State with 15 points and eight rebounds, followed by Jackson with 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Hawkins chipped in 10 points, while forward Andrea Benford had nine points and seven boards.
For Limestone, Celestra Warren led the way with 21 points and nine rebounds, followed by Kearse with 20 points. McNeil added 12 points, while Hill had 11 and seven boards.
Clayton State struggled from the field, hitting only 32 percent (21-of-66) from the floor, compared to 42 percent (27-of-64) for Limestone.
The loss ends Clayton State season with a 22-7 record, while Limestone improves to 25-5 on the year. The NCAA Division II National Tournament berth for the Lakers was the 10th straight season the program has advanced to the national tournament. Clayton State also won the Peach Belt Conference regular season championship in 2013-14.
