MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Taking on the top team in the Peach Belt Conference, Clayton State (14-9, 9-7 PBC) rallied from 15 points down in the second half but could not complete the comeback as Montevallo (16-7, 12-4 PBC) sank two free throws in the final seconds to earn a 71-69 victory in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Saturday, February 13.
 
Junior forward Alfonso Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the first half and added seven rebounds to pace Clayton State while sophomore guard Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 40 minutes of action. Junior guard Maurice White (Baltimore, Md.) scored a point a minute, finishing with nine points in his minutes on the court.
 
After deadlocking at 11-11 early on, the Lakers would pull out to a 19-13 advantage before Montevallo came charging back. They would put together an impressive 17-4 run over the next 6:19 to take a 30-23 lead by the 5:39 mark.
 
Despite having surrendered the lead, Clayton State would not go away as they fought back to within 32-30 being a 7-0 stretch of their own. From there, however, the Falcons would control the remainder of the half as they finished with a 13-4 run to take a 45-34 lead into the break.
 
The Lakers would find themselves down 15 points, 57-42, with 10:40 to play in the second half before battling back. They would put together a 14-4 run to cut it to 61-56 with 4:46 to play before the Falcons scored eight of the next 10 points to extend the lead back to 11 at 69-58.
 
Over the next two minutes, Clayton State would score the next 11 points as Bennamon drained a pair of three-pointers and senior guard Saiquan Terry (Manchester, Ga.) knocked down the game-tying triple with 57 seconds left. The Lakers would force a turnover at the other end but couldn't convert on a fourth three with eight seconds left to extend the run.
 
On the ensuing play, Montevallo's Kevin Kelly grabbed the rebound and raced down court, getting the ball to Malik Fields under the basket with 2.6 seconds left. As he went up he was fouled, earning a trip to the foul line with the game tied at 69-69. He would sink both shots for a huge 71-69 lead. With no timeouts remaining, Clayton State inbounded and put up a heave from 74 feet that was on line but came up a few feet short, sealing the Falcons narrow victory.
 
Terrell Lipkins finished with 16 points and six assists to lead five double-digit scorers for UM. He was joined by Kelly with 14 points and six rebounds and Fields with 12 points while Tevin Worthy had 10 points and eight rebounds. Bryant Orange rounded out the double-figure performances with 11 points.
 
The Lakers return to action on Wednesday, February 17 when they head to Georgia College a Peach Belt Conference West Division game that could determine their postseason fate. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. in Milledgeville, Georgia.