MORROW, Ga. – Taking on a team they had not beaten in four years and their last five tries, Clayton State (14-8, 9-6 PBC) took care of business at USC Aiken (6-16, 4-11 PBC) to earn an 83-78 victory in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Wednesday, February 10.
 
For the 10^th time in 11 games, junior forward Alfonso Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) surpassed the 20-point plateau, finishing with 22 points and eight rebounds, six of which were offensive, while senior guard Saiquan Terry (Manchester, Ga.) had 17 points and six boards. They were joined by sophomore guard Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) with 15 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals in 37 minutes of action and
 
Redshirt-freshman guard Marquise Clark (Miami, Fla.) posted a career-high 12 points and senior forward Takija Knight (Crawfordville, Fla.) chipped in with 10 points, six caroms and a pair of steals. Sophomore guard Nathan Powell (Orlando, Fla.) added four assists and six rebounds to round out the top performers.
 
The Pacers would jump out to the early 9-4 lead before Clayton State used a 7-2 burst to knot it at 11-11 just 4:55 into the game. USCA would then respond with a dominant 11-2 stretch to take a 22-13 advantage by the 10:02 mark.
 
Undeterred, the Lakers would begin to battle back as they closed to within 25-21 over the next 2:21. From there, Aiken would recover and score 14 of the next 22 points to push to a 39-29 margin with 2:52 to play in the half. With points at a premium over that remainder, the Pacers would take a 41-33 advantage into the break.
 
Clayton State nearly eliminated that deficit over the first two minutes of the second half, however, as they used a 9-3 run to close to within 44-42. A conventional three-point play by Arbry Butler stretched it back to a five point margin but the Lakers came surging right back with six more points to make it a 15-5 run overall and take a 48-47 lead by the 16:24 mark.
 
That would be the first of six straight lead changes over the next 5:21, which included a nearly two minute scoring drought, as USCA ended up with a 54-52 lead with 11:03 remaining. The clubs would exchange the next two buckets as the Pacers maintained their slim two point advantage.
 
That would not last long, however, as Clark knocked down a three for a 57-56 Laker lead which Davis quickly extended to three with a pair of free throws. After that it would become a game of can you top this as USC Aiken's Gavin Stephenson drilled a three of his own and Bennamon knocked down a jumper at the other end to regain the two point advantage.
 
Following a pair of Pacer free throws, Bennamon would strike again, this time with a triple that ignited a 7-0 run that gave Clayton State a 68-61 lead with 6:52 to play. Despite that burst, USCA would not go away, narrowing the gap to two with five straight points. Once again, the Lakers had an answer as it was their turn to score the next five and extend to a 73-66 margin with 4:20 to play.
 
Aiken would answer with a 6-0 run to cut it to one by the 1:43 mark but that would be all they could muster. Terry would knock down a jumper with Bennamon scoring the final four points to close out the 83-78 victory.
 
The driving force for the Pacers was without a doubt Arbry Butler, who finished just one block shy of a big man's triple-double. In 37 minutes of work, he put up 31 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks while Jevon Patton had 17 points. Tavares Sledge, the reigning PBC Player of the Week, had 11 points, eight boards and four assists but fouled out with seven minutes to play, removing a dangerous weapon from USCA's arsenal.
 
The Lakers are back on the court on Saturday, February 13 when they travel to Montevallo for a key Peach Belt Conference West Division game. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. (EST) in Montevallo, Alabama.
 
NOTES
The win by Clayton State snaps a five game losing streak to the Pacers, dating back to March 2, 2012 … the Lakers now lead the all-time series, which began on December 7, 1996, by a margin of 17-16 … Clayton State is still chasing Georgia College for the final Peach Belt Conference Tournament berth out of the West Division but could benefit from a change to the Bobcats schedule … originally scheduled for this evening, GC's game at Young Harris was pushed to tomorrow, leaving them with just one day before traveling to North Georgia on Saturday, February 13.