AMERICUS, Ga. – A mismatch on paper in the Peach Belt Conference turned into a major upset as No. 12/19 Clayton State (16-2, 10-1 PBC) could not overcome an improved Georgia Southwestern (9-9, 3-8 PBC) team as they dropped a 71-59 decision in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Wednesday, January 27.
 
Senior guard Kenisha Jones-Barrett (Winter Haven, Fla.) led the way with 11 points, four rebounds and four steals and redshirt-junior guard Tierra Johnson (Edison, N.J.) had a career-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Redshirt-junior center Andrea Benford (Madison, Ga.) hauled in six boards to go along with six points and a pair of steals and senior guard Kayla Pryce (Melbourne, Fla.) had nine points and three steals to round out the top performers.
 
The Hurricanes would come out upset minded as they raced out to a 21-8 lead over the first 7:05. The Lakers would notch the next five points before closing the opening quarter looking at a 23-13 deficit. Over the first 4:06 of the second period, Clayton State would cut the lead to seven at 26-19. From there, GSW would go on an 8-0 run to stretch to a 34-19 advantage by the 3:49 mark before closing with a 40-26 lead at the break.
 
It would get no better for the Lakers in the second half as Georgia Southwestern extended their lead to 19 points, 51-32, by the 5:54 mark of the second half. Over the next 3:44, Clayton State would respond with their own 8-0 run to narrow the gap to 51-40. That recovery would be short-lived, however, as the Hurricanes came right back with five points and closed the third with a 56-42 advantage.
 
The Lakers would have no answers at the start of the fourth as the Hurricanes kept pounding away, opening with a triple and extending to a 17 point lead.  Trailing 60-46 with 7:49 to play, and following a scoreless drought of nearly three minutes for both teams, a 5-0 burst would get it below double-digits at 60-51.
 
A defensive lapse on the other end would allow an easy bucket at the other end, snapping that mini streak and keying a final stretch that saw GSW pull away for the 71-59 victory.
 
Kenyona Armstrong had a game-high tying 18 points along with four rebounds and four assists for the Hurricanes while Aleah Holden had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Yvonna Dunkley added 16 points, six boards and three assists and Va'Queshia Hall had 12 points and seven rebounds. Chanice Whitton chipped in with 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
 
The Lakers continue their three-game road trip on Saturday, January 30 when they travel to Augusta. Game time is set for 12 p.m. in Augusta, Georgia.