GREENWOOD, S.C. – Clayton State (7-5, 2-1 PBC) used a late rally to down defending Peach Belt Conference Tournament Champion Lander (3-9, 0-3 PBC) by an 89-80 score in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Wednesday, January 4.
 
Redshirt-senior forward Alfonso Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) led the way with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds along with a pair of blocks while junior guard Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three steals.
 
They were joined by graduate guard Mike Scott (Gaithersburg, Md.) with 12 points off of the bench and graduate forward Jaumonee Byrd (Douglasville, Ga.) with 10 points and six boards. Junior guard Nathan Powell (Orlando, Fla.) added nine points, seven rebounds and three assists and sophomore guard Jaylen Taylor (Hephzibah, Ga.) chipped in with nine points.
 
The teams deadlocked four times and saw the lead change hands three times before the Lakers notched a 21-17 advantage by the 11:00 minute mark. Following an LU bucket that cut it to two, the lead would grow to 34-22 behind a 13-3 run over the next 4:45.
 
The Bearcats would not go away, however, as they mounted a rally right before the half. Using an 8-0 burst in a span of 4:03 they closed to within 34-30. From there, Clayton State would go on to score seven of the next 10 points and close out the half with a 41-33 lead.
 
Over the first 1:34 of the second half the Lakers would extend to a 12 point margin at 47-35 before the Bearcats clawed all the way back to 50-48 using a 13-3 run of their own. Back-to-back jumpers by freshman guard Kyle Kincey (Tallahassee, Fla.) then sparked a 6-2 burst that made it 56-50 with 11:58 on the clock.
 
Lander would not go away, however, as they used a 12-6 stretch knot it up at 62-62 less than four minutes later. The Lakers then put together a 9-2 run to retake the lead at 71-64 before LU narrowed the gap to 75-73 with 3:31 to play.
 
Clayton State would rebuild their lead as they scored nine of the next 13 points for an 84-77 advantage with 35 seconds left. A quick three six seconds later was the only rally the Bearcats could muster before the Lakers polished off the 89-80 victory.
 
JR Washington finished with a game-high 20 points along with five rebounds to pace Lander while Purdie notched 16 points. Jordan Dingle and Chris Tate added 11 and 10 points, respectively, and Clenzo Ross contributed nine points.
 
The Lakers return to action this weekend when they head to Francis Marion on Saturday, January 7. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. following the conclusion of the women's game.