COLUMBUS, Ga. – Taking on one of the top teams in the nation, Clayton State (24-7, 15-4 PBC) could not catch up with No. 13/20 Lincoln Memorial (27-4, 19-3 SAC) as they dropped an 87-58 decision in an NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament game on Friday, March 10.
 
Redshirt-senior center Andrea Benford (Madison, Ga.) put up 21 points with five boards, two blocks and a pair of steals in 31 minutes while senior center Rayven Thomas (North Las Vegas, Nev.) finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.
 
Redshirt-sophomore guard Donivan Dyson (Columbus, Ga.) added seven points and junior forward Abreyln Rackley (St. Louis, Mo.) had six points and three caroms. Senior guard Dejoun Dennard (Tampa, Fla.) chipped in with five points, three assists and three boards to round out the top performers.
 
The Railsplitters would come out on fire as they scored the first nine points of the game over the first 2:35 before Clayton State rallied to within 11-7 less than two minutes later. They would stay within seven until closing to 16-12 with 56 seconds left in the frame. LMU then closed the period with a 19-12 advantage.
 
With both teams unable to find the hoop over the first 1:19 of the second quarter, the Lakers took advantage of a three-pointer from junior guard Jimecheia Banks (Phenix, City, Ala.) that sliced it to 19-15. That margin wouldn't last long, however, as Lincoln Memorial answered with a triple of their own that sparked a 9-0 run that pushed their lead to 28-15 by the 6:05 mark.
 
Five straight points by Benford then quelled that run and made it an eight point deficit but LMU would have an answer once again, this time with an 11-5 burst to extend to a 39-25 margin with just over a minute left. From there they would close out the half with a 44-29 lead.
 
It would get no better in the third quarter as the Railsplitters maintained their lead while limiting the Lakers to just nine points. They would score just 15 themselves but were able to extend to a 59-38 margin entering the final 10 minutes.
 
Scoring would pick up considerably in the fourth quarter as the teams combined for 48 points but LMU would outscore Clayton State by eight to polish off an 87-58 quarterfinal victory.
 
Karsen Sims led five Lincoln Memorial players in double-figures with 19 points and six assists while Emily Griffith was an offensive force with 18 points and 10 assists to go along with three steals. Josey Harding had a more traditional double-double with 10 points and 10 boards and Shea Coker and Rachel Griffith had 12 and 10 points, respectively.
 
The Lakers close out the 2016-17 season with a 24-7 overall record and 15-4 mark in Peach Belt Conference action. Their appearance in the NCAA Tournament was the program's 12^th overall, all in the last 13 seasons.
 
NOTES
Clayton State is now 21-11 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, dating to their first appearance in 2004-05.