AMERICUS, Ga. – In a battle for second place in the Peach Belt Conference West Division, Clayton State (15-4, 7-3 PBC) used a 32-10 first half run to set the tone early as they outpaced Georgia Southwestern (11-6, 6-4 PBC) to earn an 80-53 victory in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Wednesday, January 25.
 
Redshirt-senior center Andrea Benford (Madison, Ga.) led the way with a game-high 24 points on 12-of-18 shooting along with five boards and three steals while junior guard Jimecheia Banks (Phenix, City, Ala.) finished with 15 points, five rebounds and six steals.
 
Junior forward Abreyln Rackley (St. Louis, Mo.) added 12 points and redshirt-senior forward Ashley Cunningham (Douglasville, Ga.) chipped in with six points, four caroms and three blocks. For the latter, it is her fourth game with at least three blocks this season with nine in her last three games.
 
Tied at 5-5 after the first 2:33, Clayton State would use a 12-3 run to pull ahead 17-8 with 1:08 remaining in the opening quarter. They would then close the frame with a 21-10 lead following a long three-pointer by Benford that she rebounded and laid in at the buzzer.
 
That run would stretch to 32-10 over the intermission as the Lakers scored 16 of the first 21 points of the second quarter to make it 37-15 by the 3:13 mark. From there they would go on to close the half with a 39-19 lead, thanks in large part to Benford's 20 first half points.
 
Over the first 5:09 of the second half, that margin would grow to 25 as Clayton State powered out to a 52-27 advantage. GSW would score six straight to cut it to a 19 point deficit but would find themselves down 62-39 at the close of the third quarter. That would be the last little burst that the Hurricanes could muster, however, as the Lakers closed it out in the fourth, scoring 18 points to wrap up the 80-53 victory.
 
Aleah Holden paced Georgia Southwestern with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Chanice Whitton wasn't far behind with 10 points and eight caroms. Kya Cochran rounded out the top performers with eight points and four boards.
 
The Lakers continue a three-game road trip as they head to Young Harris on Saturday, January 28. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. in Young Harris, Georgia.