SAVANNAH, Ga. – Trailing by 10 late in the second half, Clayton State (8-7, 3-3 PBC) rallied for an improbable 81-78 victory at Armstrong State (6-9, 1-5 PBC) in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Saturday, January 14.
 
Trailing 77-75 with 30 seconds to play, the Lakers fouled on the ensuing inbounds play to send ASU to the line. They would hit only one of two to keep it within reach at a three point margin. A hectic series then ensued as the Lakers couldn't hit multiple three-point attempts before redshirt-senior forward Alfonso Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) was fouled and headed to the line.
 
Davis proceeded to knock down a pair to cut it to one, 79-78, before the Pirates inexplicably threw a long pass down court that went out of bounds and gave the ball back to the Lakers underneath their own basket. A wild drive into the lane by freshman guard Kyle Kincey (Tallahassee, Fla.) then led to the play of his young career as he drained a fall away jumper for an 80-78 advantage with three seconds left.
 
A pair of Bennamon made free throws and successful defense of a desperation three-quarter court heave would then clinch one of the more thrilling victories in recent memory for Clayton State.
 
Throughout the day Davis was the playmaker for the Lakers as he finished with 24 points, 10 boards and a pair of steals in 40 minutes of action while senior guard Maurice White (Baltimore, Md.), junior guard Nathan Powell (Orlando, Fla.) and freshman guard Christoff Nairn (Boynton Beach, Fla.) each finished with 10 points. Graduate forward Jaumonee Byrd (Douglasville, Ga.) rounded out the top performances with nine points and seven boards.
 
The teams would trade a pair of runs to start the game as ASU jumped out to an 8-2 advantage before the Lakers responded with seven straight points to take a 9-8 lead by the 16:52 mark. That would ignite 12 lead changes and a pair of ties over the next 4:14 as Clayton State ended up ahead 23-21.
 
They would extend to a 33-23 margin with 5:56 left in the half before the Pirates came all the way back to tie it at 33-33 with a 10-0 run concluding at the 3:16 mark. From there the clubs deadlocked two more times before Armstrong's Corey Tillery knocked down a three-pointer with seven seconds to go to send them to the half with a 40-39 lead.
 
Over the first 2:26 of the second half Armstrong would push their lead to 51-41 behind an 11-2 run. Trailing 57-46, Clayton State got back-to-back layups from Davis and Byrd to cut the deficit to seven with 13:26 on the clock. The Pirates would respond by stretching their lead to 67-52 before the Lakers answered with eight straight points to cut it to 67-60 by the six minute mark.
 
A quick 5-2 burst by ASU would then push it to a 10 point margin, 72-62, but Clayton State would not go away. Trailing 77-69 with 56 seconds to play, the Lakers got consecutive triples from junior guard Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) and Nairn to slice it to 77-75 with 37 seconds left and set the stage for an improbable come-from-behind victory.
 
Tillery led the Pirates with 22 points, behind six three-pointers, and six rebounds while Denzel Council erupted for a double-double of 15 points and 12 boards. Jamison Jeffers set up the offense with a whopping 12 assists to go with seven points and Montrel Goldston and Kalen Clifton finished with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
 
The Lakers are right back in action with a Martin Luther King Day matinee against Flagler on Monday, January 16. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. at The Loch following the conclusion of the women's contest.