CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Tied at 62-62 with less than two minutes to play, redshirt-senior forward
Alfonso Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) drove to the hole for the eventual game-winner as Clayton State (1-0, 0-0 PBC) pulled out a 64-62 victory over Anderson (0-1, 0-0 SAC) in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Friday, November 11.
Trailing 56-53 with 7:10 to play, the Lakers used a 5-0 burst to take a 58-56 lead with just over four minutes left. The teams would trade the next two buckets before Anderson took a 62-60 lead at 2:42 behind a third straight Carlos Dotson layup.
It would be the last score they would see as graduate forward
Jaumonee Byrd (Douglasville, Ga.) answered with a game-tying jumper 16 seconds later and Davis drove to the hole for the go-ahead layup with 1:44 left. Over that span, the Lakers would force a pair of turnovers and not allow a single shot to hold on for the 64-62 victory.
Davis led the way with 15 points while junior guard
Nathan Powell (Orlando, Fla.) finished with 14 points, seven boards, two assists and a pair of steals. They were joined by freshman forward
Ti Lewis (Oxford, Ga.) with 10 points and four rebounds and junior guard
Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) with six points and five assists. Byrd rounded out the top performers with seven points and six boards.
In the first half, trailing 8-6 after 5:19 of action, Lewis knocked down a three that sparked a 14-6 run over the next 9:25. That would be the first of three straight triples as graduate guard
Mike Scott (Gaithersburg, Md.) and Davis each followed with one of their own.
That barrage then left the Lakers with a 23-14 advantage with 5:01 left in the first half. Anderson would get within 25-22 behind an 8-2 stretch before four straight points by Clayton State pushed it to a 29-22 margin with under a minute left. The Trojans' Warren Vinson would then sink three consecutive free throws with 16 seconds on the clock to cut it to 29-25 by the break.
The Lakers would maintain the lead in the second half, eventually seeing it grow to 39-29 with just 2:17 gone by. At that point the Trojans would answer back with a 7-0 run to get back in the game at 39-36. The teams would then remain within five points of each other before AU tied the game at 48-48 with 9:45 on the clock and took the lead by a point on a Vinson free throw 31 seconds later.
Following a brief tie on the ensuing possession, Anderson retook the lead when Vinson knocked down three straight free throws. They would eventually push to a 56-53 advantage before the Lakers mounted their comeback and held on for the two-point victory.
Vinson scored a game-high 22 points with five boards to lead the Trojans while Dotson put up an 18 point night with an impressive 14 rebounds. Maurice Howard had seven points, eight boards and four assists and Jeremy Bouton pulled down eight caroms.
The Lakers conclude their time in Charlotte tomorrow, Saturday, November 12 when they take on highly touted Queens. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at the Levine Center and Curry Arena.
