COLUMBUS, Ga. – In a battle for first place in the Peach Belt Conference, No. 23/24 Clayton State (16-4, 10-3 PBC) could not overcome a strong No. 18 Columbus State (16-4, 10-3 PBC) team playing on their home court as they dropped a 73-64 decision in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Wednesday, February 3.
 
Senior center DaQuenna Moore (Plantersville, S.C.) was one of four Lakers to finish with 10 points and added six rebounds, four offensive, and three steals while senior guard Kenisha Jones-Barrett (Winter Haven, Fla.) had 10 points, six boards and a pair of steals.
 
Redshirt-junior guard Tierra Johnson (Edison, N.J.) added 10 points, six caroms, three assists and two steals and redshirt-junior guard Tweety Hawkins (Madison, Ga.) had 10 points. Senior guard Kayla Pryce (Melbourne, Fla.) chipped in with nine points, four assists and three steals.
 
Looking nothing like the team that dropped its last two games, Clayton State charged out of the gate, taking an 11-2 lead over the first 2:23. Over the next 3:07, the Cougars would respond with an 11-2 run to take their first lead of the game at 13-12.
 
It would continue to be a back-and-forth affair as the Lakers nailed a three and then stole the ensuing inbound, laying it in for a 5-0 burst that made it 17-13 by the 2:24 mark. Columbus would then come right back with a 7-2 stretch to retake the lead at 20-19. A bucket at the end of the frame would be the first of three straight by Clayton State, a stretch that would make it 25-20 with just 2:18 gone by in the second.
 
Following a 5-0 mini run by the Cougars to tie it up, the teams would be separated by no more than four points over the next 4:43 as the Lakers regained their five point advantage, this time at 35-30. From there, Columbus put together a 7-0 to close the half and head to the break with a narrow 37-35 advantage.
 
The Cougars would open the second half by scoring 10 of the first 15 points to extend to a 47-40 margin by the 4:32 mark. Clayton State would close to within five but would quickly find themselves down 11 points, 53-42, behind a 6-0 burst.
 
Trailing 55-46 at the start of the fourth, the Lakers pulled to within six at 57-51 but Columbus came right back with five points of their own to make it 62-51 with seven minutes to play. From there, the margin would be no closer than eight as the Cougars closed out the 73-64 victory.
 
Columbus State's Michelle Mitchell led all scorers with 18 points and added eight rebounds, despite missing most of the first half with an injury, and Ashley Asouzu posted a monster double-double of 12 points and 16 rebounds, nine of which came off of the offensive glass. Gabby Williams finished with 14 points, three assists and three steals and Ashley Johnson chipped in with nine points.
 
The Lakers are back in action on Saturday, February 6 when they host Georgia Southwestern. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. at The Loch.