AMERICUS, Ga. – Redshirt-junior guard Aubrey McRae (Augusta, Ga.) knocked down all five of his threes to tie a program record as Clayton State (10-5, 8-3 PBC) held off Georgia Southwestern (9-7, 5-7 PBC) for a 75-69 victory in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Wednesday, January 24.
 
McRae was lights out as he went 5-of-5 from beyond the arc to tie a program single game record for three-point accuracy and also finished with 22 points and seven boards. His long distance performance matched the Lakers record held by Saiquan Terry (5-of-5 vs. Belmont Abbey on November 22, 2014) and Craig Wong (5-of-5 vs. Columbus State on December 17, 2012).
 
Senior guard Nathan Powell (Orlando, Fla.) flirted with a triple-double before finishing with seven points, eight rebounds and six assists while redshirt-junior forward JaCarl Owens (Orlando, Fla.) ripped down a career-high nine rebounds. Junior forward Jaylen Taylor (Hephzibah, Ga.) added 14 points and sophomore guard Kyle Kincey (Tallahassee, Fla.) had 11 points, three assists and a pair of steals.
 
McRae lit it up early as he knocked down his first three triples to account for 10 of Clayton State's first 14 points on their way to a 14-6 lead by the 16:38 mark. The Hurricanes would answer back with a pair of threes of their own as part of an 8-4 run that closed the gap to 18-14 just over two minutes later.
 
It would be McRae that would help put an end to that as he drained his fourth three and ignited a 19-7 run that pushed their lead to 37-21 with 8:49 left in the half. That margin would tighten up to 42-30 with 4:02 on the clock before the Lakers closed the half with a 46-33 advantage.
 
GSW would start the second half in a hurry as they cut the deficit to just 46-40 behind a 7-0 run over the first 2:30. A fifth three from McRae stopped that stretch and helped extend to a 12 point margin, 56-44, by the 13:03 mark.
 
Thirteen unanswered points would then flip the script and give Georgia Southwestern a one point lead, 57-56, with 7:40 on the clock. It wouldn't last long as Kincey came right back at the other end to take the lead back with a layup.
 
Following a pair of free throws at the other end that put GSW back ahead by one, Kincey responded again by lofting a perfect alley-oop from beyond the three-point arc that Taylor finished with authority from the right side to make it 60-59. From there the teams would deadlock twice, the latter coming when Kincey swiped the ball and went coast-to-coast to knot it at 63-63 with 4:32 left.
 
Evened up again at 66-66 just seconds later it would just about be an instant replay as McRae came away with the steal this time and took it the distance for a two point lead. It would continue to be a flurry of buckets and lead changes as RJ Sessions nailed the go-ahead three at the other end only to be answered right back with a matching trey by Kincey.
 
The latter made it 71-69 with 2:16 to play and sparked a game-ending 7-0 run that gave the Lakers a thrilling 75-69 victory. That stretch also included holding GSW scoreless for the final 2:48 of the game.
 
Devin Watson drained three triples on his way to a team-high 18 points for the Hurricanes while Hasaan Buggs recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Sessions finished with 17 points and Andre Statam chipped in with eight points and six caroms.
 
The Lakers return home to take on Columbus State on Saturday, January 27. Game time is set for approximately 3:30 p.m. at The Loch following the women's game.
 
NOTES
For McRae, it is the second single game three-point record he has equaled in less than 10 days … on January 15 against Lander he connected on seven three-pointers to tie the program record, one which Saiquan Terry also shares … Owens' nine rebounds topped his previous career-high of six, which he had notched twice before, most recently against Lander on January 15, 2018 … with a 90-83 loss by UNC Pembroke at Francis Marion, Clayton State is now one game out of first place in the Peach Belt Conference.