AMERICUS, Ga. – Behind the force of five double-digit scorers, Clayton State (12-6, 7-4 PBC) earned an 84-82 victory at Georgia Southwestern (8-10, 4-7 PBC) in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Wednesday, January 27.
Leading the charge for the Lakers was sophomore guard
Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) with a team-high 18 points while sophomore guard
Nathan Powell (Orlando, Fla.) fueled the offense, finishing with 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
They were joined by senior guard
Saiquan Terry (Manchester, Ga.) with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting and junior forward
Alfonso Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) with 15 points, nine boards and a pair of blocks. Sophomore guard
Kendall Joseph (Snellville, Ga.) added 11 points and six rebounds and senior forward
Takija Knight (Crawfordville, Fla.) chipped in with six points, six boards and two blocks.
The teams would deadlock at 8-8 early on before GSW scored nine of the next 13 points to take a 17-12 lead by the 12:41 mark. The Lakers would respond over the next 3:07 with an 8-2 stretch that gave them a 20-19 advantage but the Hurricanes regained the lead and held it until 3:47 remained in the half.
At that point, Clayton State tied up the game at 31-31 with a pair of layups but it would draw them even only briefly. Holding a narrow 34-33 lead at the 2:40 mark, Georgia Southwestern drained three triples to fuel a 9-2 run that closed the half and left them with a 43-36 margin.
Despite an Adam Thoseby three-pointer early in the second half, the Lakers would storm back to within one behind a 10-3 run to make it 47-46 by the 16:16 mark. After exchanging baskets to maintain that one point margin, GSW would put together an 8-2 run to extend to a 57-50 lead 1:43 later.
It would continue to be a game of runs as Clayton State answered with a 14-4 run to flip the script and give them a 64-61 advantage with 12:13 left. The Hurricanes would come right back to tie it a 68-68 but, following another exchange of baskets, wouldn't stay there as the Lakers pushed back out ahead.
With the score at 70-70, senior center
Richard Bell (West Sussex, England) capped a 10-1 run with a three-pointer that gave Clayton State an 80-71 advantage with just over five and a half to play. It would be far from over, however, as Georgia Southwestern charged back with a 9-2 run in the next four minutes to cut it to 82-80.
The Hurricanes would then block a shot on the other end to regain possession with a chance to tie but would fritter away that opportunity with a turnover with 35 seconds to play.
Powell split a pair of free throws following the ensuing foul to make it a three-point margin and once again GSW could not convert on the other end. This time Davis knocked in 1-of-2 from the line for a four-point advantage, a difference that would withstand one last basket for an 84-82 victory.
Chandler Thomas delivered a game-high 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting to lead Georgia Southwestern while Damien Leonard had 18 points, all on three-pointers. Brandon Price added 12 points and eight assists and Thoseby finished with 13 points and four assists. Jure Gunjina added 11 points in 30 minutes.
The Lakers return to the court when they travel to Augusta to continue a three-game road trip on Saturday, January 30. Game time is set for 2 p.m. in Augusta, Georgia.
