WINGATE, N.C. – Facing a fellow NCAA Division II Tournament team from last season, Clayton State (0-1, 0-0 PBC) found themselves down early and could not recover as Anderson (1-0, 0-0 SAC) notched a 79-36 victory in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Friday, November 10.
 
The Trojans would come out on point as they methodically built an 18-3 advantage over the course of the first quarter. The Lakers would take the lid off the bucket at the start of the second frame with a pair of jumpers but would find themselves trailing 31-11 by the 2:58 mark. From there the teams would be nearly even as they closed the half with AU holding a 36-15 advantage.
 
Things would get no better for Clayton State at the start of the second half as Anderson used a 21-2 run to stretch the lead to 57-17 by the with 56 seconds left in the quarter. A three by junior forward Jhade Hayes (Land O'Lakes, Fla.) would finally break up that run but AU would close the frame with a 59-20 margin. From there, the Trojans closed out the 79-36 victory with a 20 point fourth quarter.
 
Ace Easter led Anderson with 18 points, seven steals and four assists while Alexis Dillard finished with 12 points, six boards and a pair of blocks. Madison Baggett ripped down a game-high 13 rebounds and Jasmine Raynor added seven points and six assists to round out the top performances.
 
Junior center Aleisha Merriweather (Augusta, Ga.) led Clayton State with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals while redshirt-junior center Shaquoria Miles (Garysburg, N.C.) finished with eight caroms and four points. Freshman guard Tatiana Foster (Atlanta, Ga.) notched six steals in 22 minutes of action and Hayes chipped in with six points.
 
The Lakers are back in action tomorrow, Saturday, November 11 when they take on No. 14 Wingate (0-0, 0-0 SAC). Game time is set for 4 p.m. in the finale of the 2017 PBC/SAC Challenge.