GREENWOOD, S.C. – In Peach Belt Conference Tournament Quarterfinal action Clayton State (14-15, 11-11 PBC) gave No. 2 seed Lander (23-6, 17-5 PBC) all they could handle before falling 68-60 in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Wednesday, February 28.
 
Senior forward Abreyln Rackley (St. Louis, Mo.) led the Lakers with 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals in 34 minutes while senior guard Aysia Grimsley (Marietta, Ga.) finished with 11 points, two assists and two steals.
 
They were joined by junior guard TaKwana Bland (Williamston, N.C.) who added 10 points and five caroms and junior forward Velencia Johnson (Hoover, Ala.) chipped in with five points, six boards, three blocks and three steals.
 
In a low scoring affair, Clayton State fought their way out to a 12-7 lead by the 2:43 mark before the Bearcats cut it to one, 14-13, at the end of the first quarter. After deadlocking at 18-18 just under three minutes into the second, the Lakers put together a 7-0 run, keyed by five straight from Rackley, to pull ahead 25-18 by the 6:10 mark.
 
Back-to-back buckets by Breshay Johnson made it a three-point deficit before six straight points pushed Clayton State's lead to 31-22 with 2:37 left in the half. Two more baskets by Johnson then sent the teams to the break with the score at 31-26.
 
The Lakers would maintain the lead through the first six minutes of the third period, holding a 39-38 lead with 3:53 on the clock. From there, however, Lander used a 14-3 run to flip the script and take a 52-42 lead with 9:28 to play.
 
That lead would not dip below eight until Clayton State closed to within 58-55 with 2:35 left in the game. A Christal Williams three then pushed it right back to a six point margin 19 seconds later before the Lakers once again battled back to within three, 61-58, with a minute left. A 7-2 run down the stretch by the Bearcats would be too much overcome as they put away the 68-60 victory.
 
Johnson led LU with a game-high 23 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists while Chelsea Mitchell finished with 17 points, eight boards four steals. Williams added 13 points, four assists and a pair of steals and Jessica Harris had seven points and five assists to round things out.
 
The Lakers close the 2017-18 season with an overall record of 14-15 and 11-11 in Peach Belt Conference play.