MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Clayton State (8-3, 6-1 PBC) drained 12 three-pointers and blew out Georgia College (7-6, 3-4 PBC) by an 88-64 score in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Wednesday, January 10.
 
Senior forward Denzel Council (Macon, Ga.) erupted for a career-high 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, and added five boards, two steals and a pair of assists to lead the Lakers. He was joined by junior guard Justin Tuckson (Stafford, Va.) who registered his third straight game of at least 15 points, finishing with that total courtesy of four threes.
 
Junior forward Jaylen Taylor (Hephzibah, Ga.) was a beast on the boards, ripping down a career-high 14, six off of the offensive glass, to go with six points while senior guard Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) notched 12 points and four assists. Redshirt-junior forward JaCarl Owens (Orlando, Fla.) chipped in with nine points and six caroms and sophomore guard Christoff Nairn (West Palm Beach, Fla.) added nine points.
 
Over the first 6:02 of the game, Clayton State powered out to an early 14-4 advantage that included half of those points from Council. He would help the Lakers continue their torrid start as they barreled out to a 19-8 margin behind a second three-pointer from the big man.
 
After seeing the lead extend to a 25-14 spread, the Bobcats would cut the deficit to 30-25 by the 4:56 mark. It would not stay that way for long, however, as Clayton State exploded for a 9-1 run that stretched the lead to 39-26 with 1:19 left in the half. GC would then recover slightly as they narrowed the gap to 41-31 at the break.
 
It would get no better in the second half for Georgia College as the lead ballooned to a game-high 14 points, 50-36, over the first 3:32. With the score at 58-44 with 10:36 on the clock, a barrage of three-pointers, four to be exact, helped fuel a 20-6 run that blew the game wide open with a 75-50 margin with 6:05 to play. That would be all the Lakers would need as they eventually pushed to a 26 point lead before closing out the impressive 88-64 victory.
 
Kohl Roberts was a force to be reckoned with as he notched a double-double of 17 points and 10 boards and blocked four shots to pace the Bobcats. Garrick DeBowles and Jordan Thomas each had 11 points with the former adding five rebounds and Isaac Thomas finished with eight points, four caroms, three assists and a pair of blocks.
 
The Lakers return to The Loch to begin a three game homestand when they host USC Aiken on Saturday, January 13. Game time is set for approximately 3:30 p.m. following the women's game.
 
NOTES
The 12 three-pointers were the most since knocking down that number against LeMoyne-Owen on November 17, 2016 … the Lakers remain tied for first place in the Peach Belt Conference following a 68-62 victory by UNC Pembroke over Augusta.