YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Clayton State (6-4, 1-2 PBC) held a 13 point second half lead in their 2016 opener but could not withstand a late charge as Young Harris (5-7, 3-0 PBC) earned a 79-71 victory in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Saturday, January 2.
 
Junior forward Alfonso Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) finished with seven points, a team-high 10 rebounds, three blocks and three assists and senior guard Saiquan Terry (Manchester, Ga.) led Clayton State in scoring with 13 points.
 
Sophomore guard Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) added 11 points, seven boards and four assists and senior center Richard Bell (West Sussex, England) had 11 points and five rebounds. Redshirt-freshman guard Marquise Clark (Miami, Fla.) and senior guard SirDarius Henry (Atlanta, Ga.) each had eight points and senior forward Takija Knight (Crawfordville, Fla.) had six points, seven boards and five blocks to round out the top performers.
 
Young Harris would jump out to the early 10-3 lead over the first 7:08 before the Lakers put together a 17-5 run over the next 4:50. That stretch, fueled by three triples, would flip the script and give them a 20-15 advantage by the 8:02 mark. Over the next six minutes, that lead would expand to 31-22 before Clayton State closed out the first half with a 38-29 advantage.
 
The lead would grow to 11 at 42-31 over the first 2:46 before YHC closed to within six on three occasions, the last coming at 47-41 at the 14:57 mark. At that point, the Lakers put together a 9-2 run in the next 1:44 to stretch to a 13 point margin at 56-43.
 
From there, the Mountain Lions offense would come to life as they pounded out a mammoth 21-7 run over the next 7:44 to take a 64-63 lead with 5:41 to play. Following a media timeout, sophomore guard TJ Johnson (Savannah, Ga.) answered back with the go-ahead bucket before  C.J. Wilson and Bennamon traded threes to leave the Lakers with a 68-67 advantage and 3:57 to hold on to it.
 
It would be a task too tall. A layup by Bell followed by a pair of free throws from Young Harris' Bjorn Walker kept it a one point game before Terry hit 1-of-2 free throws to make it 71-69 at the 2:08 mark. The lead wouldn't stay with the Lakers for long as Ben Waterhouse drained a three-pointer with 1:44 left to give the Mountain Lions a 72-71 lead. That would be the first points of a 10-0 run that closed the game and locked up a 79-71 come-from-behind victory.
 
Wilson exploded for 31 points along with six rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals to lead YHC while Marques McKoy had five points but a game-high 14 rebounds and four blocks in 39 minutes of action. Between them, they were on the bench for just one minute. Marcellus Roberts finished with 10 points, including a thunderous dunk that changed the tenor of the game, and Walker had nine points and nine rebounds.
 
The Lakers will be right back in action on Monday, January 4 as they host Montevallo. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. at The Loch following the conclusion of the women's game.