DAHLONEGA, Ga. – In a matchup of a pair of 11-win teams, the game did not disappoint as Clayton State (12-1, 6-0 PBC) outlasted North Georgia (11-4, 3-3 PBC) to earn a 73-71 victory in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Saturday, January 9.
 
Redshirt-junior center Andrea Benford (Madison, Ga.) led the way with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds while senior center DaQuenna Moore (Plantersville, Ga.) finished with 14 points, five boards and three steals in just 12 minutes of action. Redshirt-junior guard Tweety Hawkins (Madison, Ga.) would round out the top performers with 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
 
Playing on the road at always difficult Memorial Hall, the Lakers came out strong as they surged out to a 15-5 lead by the 2:47 mark of the first quarter. Following a UNG bucket, to cut it to eight, they would answer with a three by junior guard Dejoun Dennard (Seffner, Fla.) to push to an 18-7 margin before closing the period with a 20-12 advantage.
 
Over the first 2:46 of the second quarter, the Nighthawks would erase that lead behind an 8-0 run fueled by a pair of threes from Molly Rainwater. Clayton State would quickly respond with three straight buckets to retake the lead at 26-20 and force a North Georgia timeout at the 5:53 mark.
 
With the score at 28-22, the Lakers offense would go hold over the final 4:39 and the Nighthawks would take advantage, closing the frame with a 7-2 run to pull to within 30-29 at the break.
 
It would be Clayton State's turn for a run at the start of the second half, however, as they opened with an 8-2 burst to extend to a 38-31 margin over the first 2:22. An 8-4 stretch by UNG would cut the deficit to three at 42-39 but that margin would not last as a 7-0 run, fueled by five points from Upshaw, pushed the lead to 49-39 by the 3:43 mark of the third. Not only would they maintain that double-digit lead, they would expand it to 61-50 by the end of the quarter.
 
A conventional three-point play by Cierra Jackson at the start of the fourth would cut the margin to 61-53 but the Lakers would maintain the offensive pressure and extend to 69-60 with 6:19 left. A 5-0 run then pulled the Nighthawks to within 69-65 by the 4:10 mark and put them back in the game.
 
A pair of baskets by senior guard Kenisha Jones-Barrett (Winter Haven, Fla.) made it 73-67 with 2:50 left before Rainwater drained a program record-tying three to cut it to a three-point deficit 47 seconds later. A Livesay free throw just under a minute would take it to 73-71 and UNG would get the ball back following a missed three at the other end.
 
Following a timeout with 26 seconds to go, the Nighthawks would be off the mark on an attempt to tie the game but would get the ball back with 12 seconds following a Clayton State turnover. Running the clock down, UNG's Livesay took a jumper that bounced off the rim and was corralled by senior forward Shay Upshaw (Tampa, Fla.) with four seconds to play. On the ensuing inbound she would toss it the length of the court as the Lakers salted away the narrow two-point victory.
 
Rainwater would knock down a program record-tying six threes to finish with 18 points while Kelsey Hutchins added 18 points and five rebounds. They were joined by Livesay with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals and Jackson with six points, 10 boards, four steals and three assists.
 
The Lakers return to action when they host surging Georgia College (13-2, 5-1 PBC) on Wednesday, January 13. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at The Loch.