MONTEVALLO, Ala. – A 19-4 second half run and a career-best 25 points from senior guard Kenisha Jones-Barrett (Winter Haven, Fla.) was the difference as Clayton State (19-4, 13-3 PBC) held off a feisty Montevallo (7-16, 4-12 PBC) squad to earn a 73-57 victory in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Saturday, February 13.
 
Jones-Barrett delivered 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting and added six rebounds, five steals, three assists and a block in 32 minutes to pace the Lakers. Redshirt-junior guard Tweety Hawkins (Madison, Ga.) added 13 points, three assists, three steals and a couple of rebounds and senior forward Shay Upshaw (Tampa, Fla.) finished with 13 points, four assists and a pair of steals. Senior center DaQuenna Moore (Plantersville, S.C.) rounded out the top performers with a game-high tying 10 rebounds.
 
Facing a team that gave No. 19 Columbus State all they could handle in their last outing, the Lakers took an early 8-3 advantage before UM responded with an 8-2 stretch to pull ahead 11-8. A 5-0 burst, capped by a Jones-Barrett three, gave Clayton State a 13-11 lead and was the first of three lead changes in the coming minutes.
 
With the score tied at 20-20 at the 8:18 mark of the second quarter, the Lakers put together an 8-2 run with four points each from Hawkins and Jones-Barrett to pull ahead 28-22. From there, however, Montevallo would use a 12-4 stretch to close out the half and take a 34-32 lead into the break.
 
In the second half, Clayton State would look more like themselves as they opened with an 11-4 run to flip the script and pull ahead 43-38. They would extend that lead to 47-40 with just under two minutes left in the frame before UM notched the next four points to make it 47-44 entering the fourth.
 
In that final period, the Falcons would continue to fight as they closed to within one before eventually taking a 49-48 lead on the fifth three of the day from Morgan Smith. That would be the first of four straight lead changes, the last giving Clayton State a 52-51 advantage.
 
That bucket ignited a 19-4 run that would give the Lakers a commanding 71-55 lead with under two minutes to play, essentially putting the game out of reach. From there, they would go on to close out the 73-57 decision for their 19^th victory of the season.
 
Smith led the Falcons with 17 points and 11 rebounds and Rayvon Christian had 15 points and five boards. They were joined by Jacquelyn Thompson with 12 points to round out the double figure scorers. Katherine Goldsby added six rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes.
 
The Lakers wrap up their three game road trip when they head to Georgia College on Wednesday, February 17. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. in Milledgeville, Georgia.
 
NOTES
With the win, Clayton State improves to 15-3 all-time against Montevallo … that is a record that includes the last 13 wins in a row, dating back to January 19, 2011 … they have also won 15 of the last 16 meetings … the victory also keeps the Lakers in a first place tie with No. 19 Columbus State, which defeated Young Harris 68-49 earlier in the day.