COLUMBUS, Ga. – Clayton State (12-8, 7-6 PBC) battled back-and-forth with Columbus State (16-4, 10-3 PBC) all night in a key Peach Belt Conference contest but fell victim to a last second jumper for the second time this season, falling 88-86 in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Wednesday, February 3.
 
Junior forward Alfonso Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) led the Lakers effort as he produced another outstanding game with 24 points, eight rebounds and a pair of steals while going 11-of-12 from the foul line. Senior forward Takija Knight (Crawfordville, Fla.) finished with a career-high 21 points to go with seven boards and a career-high tying five blocks in 40 minutes of action.
 
Sophomore guard Nathan Powell (Orlando, Fla.) added 15 points and a career-best 10 boards to go along with four assists and sophomore guard Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and a pair of steals. Senior guard Saiquan Terry (Manchester, Ga.) rounded out the top performers with 11 points.
 
Terry came out and knocked down back-to-back threes to get the Lakers going with an early 7-4 lead but Columbus would come back with a 15-4 run to pull ahead 19-11 by the 13:42 mark. Over the next 13:44, however, Clayton State would dominate as they put together an impressive 17-2 run behind seven points from Davis to regain the lead at 28-21 midway through the half.
 
It would be the Cougars turn for a rally as they scored 10 of the next 16 points to cut it to 34-31 with 5:39 left in the half. The Lakers would weather that storm and respond with a 10-4 stretch to extend to a 44-35 margin with just over a minute to play in the half. Columbus would then notch the last four points of the frame to send the teams to the break at 44-39.
 
Following a bucket by Brentine Taylor to cut it to a three point deficit within the first minute of the second half, Clayton State used a 12-4 run to push to a 56-45 advantage by the 17:01 mark. That lead would grow to 63-50 less than three minutes later when Powell drained a three-pointer.
 
After Columbus pulled to within seven, the Lakers used an 8-3 stretch to push out to a 74-61 margin with 9:09 left but the Cougars would not go away. Over the next 2:28, they would produce a 13-0 run that tied the game at 74-74, with eight points coming from Brent Jackson. Terry drilled another three to finally snap that streak and make it 77-74.
 
The lead would change hands four times over the next 3:06, ending up with Clayton State holding an 83-80 lead. Taylor would then notch back-to-back tip-ins to put Columbus State ahead 84-83 with 1:12 to play and would be followed by a bucket from Cam Baker for a three point margin.
 
Off of that basket, the Lakers Powell raced down the court and proceeded to pull up from long range, nailing the game-tying three-pointer to make it 86-86 with 14 seconds left. It would not be enough, however, as Baker brought the ball up court at the end, ran the clock down to two seconds and then dropped in a game winner from just beyond the foul line for the 88-86 victory.
 
Jackson led all scorers with 25 points to along with nine rebounds and Baker finished with 19 points and four steals to pace the Cougars. Taylor added a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, an incredible nine off of the offensive glass, and JaCori Payne had 14 points.
 
The Lakers return home when they host Georgia Southwestern on Saturday, February 6. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. at The Loch following the conclusion of the women's contest.
 
NOTES
Knight's previous career-high for points was 19 at Saint Leo on November 29, 2015 … Powell notched his career-best for rebounds, surpassing the seven he had at North Georgia on January 9, 2016.