MORROW, Ga. – Clayton State (14-5, 12-3 PBC) got balanced, high level scoring and led for all but 1:37 as they raced past Francis Marion (13-7, 8-7 PBC) for an 84-70 victory in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Saturday, February 3.
 
Junior forward Jaylen Taylor (Hephzibah, Ga.) led the charge with 19 points and 13 boards, eight off the offensive glass, while senior guard Nathan Powell (Orlando, Fla.) checked all the boxes with 19 points, eight caroms and five assists and went 9-of-10 at the foul line.
 
Not far behind was junior guard Justin Tuckson (Stafford, Va.) with a career-high tying 18 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. He also added five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Redshirt-junior forward JaCarl Owens (Orlando, Fla.) chipped in with eight points and seven boards and senior guard Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) had eight points, five caroms and three assists.
 
An offensive explosion by Tuckson fueled a game opening 23-8 run by the Lakers over the first 8:41 as he put up 13 points behind three of his four triples. Stunned but not knocked out, FMU came back to narrow the margin to six, 33-27, with a 19-10 stretch that culminated at the 3:42 mark. Three buckets down the stretch, including a pair by Taylor, then sent Clayton State to the break holding a 39-31 lead.
 
Held to just six points in the first half, the PBC scoring leader Detrek Browning would light it up over the final 20 minutes. After the Lakers had extended their lead to 48-33 over the first three minutes of the half, the four-year veteran would score 12 of his 22 second half points to keep the Patriots in the game at 65-53 with 8:31 to play.
 
Despite those efforts, Francis Marion would not see a difference of less than 11 points the rest of the way, that coming with the score at 68-57 with 5:30 on the clock. The lead would balloon up to 19 points at 83-64 in the final two minutes before the Lakers put the finishing touches on the commanding 84-70 victory to keep pace with UNC Pembroke in the race for a PBC regular season championship.
 
Browning upped his league leading average with 28 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and an impressive 10-of-11 effort from the line to lead the Patriots. Joining him was Brandon Parker with 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists and Judah Alexander, who had seven points and three assists. Warren Specht rounded things out with seven points.
 
The Lakers remain at home as they host Georgia College on Wednesday, February 7. Game time is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. at The Loch following the women's contest against the Bobcats.
 
NOTES
Taylor was one rebound away from tying his career-high of 14 boards, which he equaled earlier in the week against North Georgia (1/29) … Clayton State remains a game behind UNC Pembroke following the Braves 75-58 victory at Georgia College.