Full Game Video I Georgia's Own Postgame Interview MORROW, Ga. – Three players combined for 62 points as Clayton State (10-6, 5-4 PBC) held on for an 84-80 Martin Luther King Day victory over UNC Pembroke (10-8, 4-4 PBC) in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Monday, January 18.
Junior forward
Alfonso Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) led the way with 22 points, eight boards, four blocks, a pair of assists and a steal in 28 minutes while senior guard
Saiquan Terry (Manchester, Ga.) knocked down four threes on his way to 21 points. For Davis, it was his third straight game surpassing 20 points and nearly his third consecutive double-double.
Sophomore guard
Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) went 5-of-7 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the line, including the clinching free throws, and senior forward
Takija Knight (Crawfordville, Fla.) delivered a solid all-around game. On the day, he finished with eight points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocks while playing 36 minutes.
Clayton State wasted no time as they jumped out to a commanding 15-4 lead over the first 3:58 before expanding to a 21-9 margin by the 13:29 mark. A 12-7 stretch by UNCP then narrowed the gap to seven at 28-21 with 7:04 on the clock. The Lakers would stretch the lead to 10 behind a three by senior guard
SirDarius Henry (Atlanta, Ga.) but the Braves would not go away.
They stayed with the seven-to-nine point range until Clayton State took a 40-28 lead with 1:41 left. From there, UNCP would claw back to within 41-32 before the Lakers rebounded to take a 44-34 lead into the break.
At the start of the second half, the lead would grow to 12 at 47-35 before the Braves cut it to eight at 54-46 with 14:20 remaining. Four different scorers then notched 11 of the next 18 points, pushing the lead to 12 at 65-53.
After being stuck right around an eight point margin much of the half, UNC Pembroke got over that particular hump with 9:44 left as they put together an 8-0 run to narrow the gap to 65-61 with 6:17 to go. After seeing that margin cut to three two minutes later, the Lakers pushed out to a 77-69 lead by the 1:36 mark.
The Braves would make one last charge as they used an 11-5 run, capped by a desperation three from 35 feet out with three seconds left, to get to within 82-80. Bennamon, however, would go to the line and knock down a pair of free throws to lock up the four point win.
Alex Bradley led the way for UNCP with a game-high 23 points along with four assists and four steals and Jihad Wright had 17 points and four rebounds. Brandon Winford added eight points and a game-high tying nine boards while Brandon Watts finished with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
Clayton State will be back in action on Saturday, January 23 when they host North Georgia. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. at The Loch following the conclusion of the women's contest.
NOTESOver his last three games, Davis is averaging 24.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks.
