AUGUSTA, Ga. – A near record 33 points from junior forward Alfonso Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) was not enough as Clayton State (12-7, 7-5 PBC) dropped an 80-70 decision at Augusta (12-7, 8-4 PBC) in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Saturday, January 30.
 
Davis led the way for Clayton State with his 33 points along with 10 rebounds and 15 made free throws in one of the better performances in recent program history. His point total was just seven shy of the team record of 40 set by Robert Conley on January 29, 1999 and his 15 free throws (15-of-18) was four short of equaling the program mark held by Todd McLaurin. The latter was set against North Georgia with 19 on February 22, 2006.
 
Sophomore guard Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) added 16 points and five rebounds in 36 minutes and sophomore guard Nathan Powell (Orlando, Fla.) finished with four points, six boards and three assists in 20 minutes. Senior forward Takija Knight (Crawfordville, Fla.) chipped in with nine rebounds and a game-high four blocks to round out the top performers.
 
The Lakers would come out on fire as they exploded for a 22-5 lead over the first 8:17 behind 12 points from Davis. As hot as they were during that stretch, however, Augusta would just about match it over the next 5:37. During that stretch, the Jaguars would be nearly unstoppable as they ripped off 17 straight points to tie the game at 22-22 with 7:18 left in the half.
 
Clayton State would bounce back with the next five points to retake the lead at 27-22 but Augusta was not done. They posted a 6-0 run to pull back ahead at 28-27 with 4:03 on the clock and ignited four lead changes and a pair of ties over the next 2:56. That last of those lead changes would see the Jaguars close the half with a 7-2 stretch to take a 38-34 lead into the break.
 
Augusta would pick up where they left off as they scored six of the first seven points of the second half to extend to a 44-35 lead by the 18:44 mark. That would grow to a 10-point margin, 54-44, before the Lakers responded with a 7-2 run to close the gap to 56-51 with 12:08 left.
 
After seesawing back-and-forth, Clayton State would find themselves trailing 64-55 before scoring seven straight points to cut it to a two-point deficit, 64-62, by the 6:54 mark. At that point, however, the Jaguars responded by scoring six of the next seven points to push to a 70-63 advantage.
 
Following a bucket by Augusta to make it a nine point margin, the Lakers Bennamon would knock down a three as part of a 6-0 burst that narrowed the gap to just two points at 72-70 with 1:52 remaining. That would be as close as they would get however, as the Jaguars took control and scored the final eight points for the 80-70 victory.
 
Keshun Sherrill led Augusta with 24 points with a 10-of-12 outing from the line and Tyvez Monroe had 18 points, three assists and a pair of steals. Tamyrik Fields finished with 12 points, five rebounds three assists and Tommy Williams had seven points and eight boards.
 
The Lakers conclude a three-game road trip on Wednesday, February 3 when they head to Columbus State. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. in Columbus, Georgia.