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MORROW, Ga. – Facing one of their toughest league battles, Clayton State (13-1, 7-0 PBC) earned a key 52-48 victory over Georgia College (13-3, 5-2 PBC) in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Wednesday, January 13.
 
Senior center DaQuenna Moore (Plantersville, S.C.) led the way with nine points, 12 rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes while senior guard Kayla Pryce (Melbourne, Fla.) had a team-high 12 points.
 
Redshirt-junior guard Tierra Johnson (Edison, N.J.) added five points and eight rebounds and redshirt-junior center Andrea Benford (Madison, Ga.) had six points, seven board, four off of the offensive glass, and three blocks. Senior guard Kenisha Jones-Barrett (Winter Haven, Fla.) rounded out the top performers with seven points, four caroms and a pair of assists.
 
After deadlocking at 5-5 in the early going, it would be the Lakers that would find their rhythm as they ripped off an 11-2 run over the next 8:24 before GC knocked down a pair of late free throws. That stretch would leave Clayton State with a 16-9 advantage entering the second.
 
The Bobcats would open that frame with a three to cut it to four but Clayton State quickly put together a 7-0 burst to push the lead to 23-12 by the 3:18 mark. They would then expand that margin to 12 before the break, heading to the half with a 30-18 advantage.
 
Neither team could find their offense at the start of the second half as both went scoreless over the first 3:19 before Pryce drained a long three for a 33-18 lead. A 10-0 run would then get GC right back in it at 33-28 before the Lakers closed the quarter with five straight points, taking a 38-28 margin into the fourth.
 
It would be a game that was far from over as the Bobcats came surging back over the first 4:32 of the period. During that time they put together a commanding 14-2 run to take the lead, 40-38, at the 5:28 mark but would be unable to hold it.
 
Trailing by two, Clayton State responded with eight straight points to retake the lead at 46-40 just under two minutes later. That margin would grow to 48-41 with 1:59 to play before GC mounted a furious rally. Over the next 1:45 they would use a 7-1 stretch to cut it to 49-48 but that would be as close as they would get. Jones-Barrett would be the difference maker down the stretch as she hit 3-of-4 free throws to seal the narrow four-point victory.
 
Kadesha Gibbs led the way for the Bobcats with 14 points and five rebounds and Lindsey Reed had 10 points and five points. McKenna Rushton manned the glass with 13 boards to go with her five points and LaRice Walker had seven points, five rebounds and a pair of assists.
 
The Lakers return to action as they head to Flagler on Saturday, January 16. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. in St. Augustine, Fla.