JACKSON, Tenn. – Taking on one of the best teams in the country, it would take one of the best individual performances Clayton State (5-1, 0-0 PBC) has seen in some time as they upended No. 11/12 Union University (3-1, 0-0 GSC) by a 98-90 score in overtime in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Saturday, November 26.
 
With the Lakers trailing by six, 79-73, with just 58 seconds remaining it looked as though the Bulldogs had survived a major early season scare. Clayton State had other ideas.
 
Redshirt-senior forward Ashley Cunningham (Douglasville, Ga.) came away with three points in the next 27 seconds and, following a pair of UU makes from the line, redshirt-senior center Andrea Benford (Madison, Ga.) knocked down a jumper to make it 81-78 with five seconds to play.
 
Faced with the improbability of forcing a turnover to get the ball back and knocking down a three to tie it, the Lakers made improbable a reality as redshirt-senior guard Tweety Hawkins (Madison, Ga.) swiped the inbounds pass and stepped back to hit a game-tying three pointer as time expired.
 
Tied at 81-81, the teams would deadlock at 85-85 little more than a minute into the extra frame before Clayton State took complete control. In a span of 1:18 they went 4-of-4 from the line and converted a layup to take a 91-85 advantage by the 2:37 mark. Union would eventually close to within three at 93-90 with 1:10 to play but no closer as the Lakers slammed the door on the 98-90 overtime victory by going 5-of-5 from the line down the stretch.

"This was a great win for the team and Laker Nation against a very good Union team!," said head coach Kaleena Coleman. "I'm proud of the players for not giving up and fighting to the end!"
 
Redshirt-senior guard Tierra Johnson (Edison, N.J.) played the best game of her career as she scored a career-best 31 points with five steals, three boards and a pair of assists in 44 minutes. Her 31 points was just four shy of the program single game record of 35 set by Jasmine Patterson against Columbus State on March 6, 2005 and the highest scoring output since Yishica Sims dropped 32 against Flagler on January 17, 2015.
 
Far from a one person effort, she was joined by Hawkins with 18 points, career-high eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks. Ten of those points came in the final five seconds of regulation and overtime.
 
Redshirt-senior center Andrea Benford (Madison, Ga.) came away with 18 points and eight boards in just 18 minutes of work and redshirt-senior forward Ashley Cunningham (Douglasville, Ga.) added 13 points, seven caroms, two blocks and a pair of assists. Junior forward Abreyln Rackley (St. Louis, Mo.) rounded out the top performers with 12 points and five rebounds.
 
The Lakers would jump out to an 8-4 advantage over the first 2:19 before Union mounted an 11-3 run over the next 5:33 to take a 15-11 advantage. Clayton State would then respond with a 15-4 stretch of their own to retake the lead at 26-19 with less than two minutes gone by in the second quarter.
 
It would continue to be a game of runs as the Bulldogs came right back with a 12-5 stretch to tie the game at 31-31 with 3:35 left in the half. Undaunted, the Lakers answered with eight of the next 10 points to regain the lead at 39-33 before taking a 39-36 margin into the break.
 
Union would come out strong to start the second half as they used a 9-2 run to pull back ahead 45-41. That would initiate a half that would see the clubs separated by no more than six points, with the last coming at 79-73 with 58 seconds to play and setting the stage for an incredible come-from-behind Clayton State victory.
 
Jada Perkins led the way for the Bulldogs as she nearly had a triple-double with 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 42 minutes while Jada Smith wasn't far behind with 24 points and seven boards. Fredi Nielsen ripped down 11 rebounds and added 11 points for a double-double and Chelsea Bodiford had 12 points to close out Union's double-figure scorers.
 
The Lakers continue their non-conference slate as they return home to take on Fort Valley State on Tuesday, November 29. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at The Loch.
 
NOTES
The victory over Union is Clayton State's second over a ranked opponent this season and third over a team that qualified for the 2016 NCAA Division II Tournament … they opened the season with an 84-73 win over No. 21 Anderson (11/11) and then downed Wingate (11/12) by a 73-72 score in overtime … Union is ranked No. 11 in the D2SIDA Media Poll and No. 12 in the WBCA/USA Today Sports National Poll.