MORROW, Ga. – Clayton State (11-11, 8-8 PBC) continued a surge against some of the best teams in the Peach Belt Conference as they held off Georgia College (14-8, 11-5 PBC) to earn a 55-52 victory in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Wednesday, February 7.
 
Junior center Aleisha Merriweather (Augusta, Ga.) scored 10 points and hauled in 11 boards for a double-double to pace the Lakers while junior forward Abreyln Rackley (St. Louis, Mo.) finished with a team-high 12 points. Freshman guard Tatiana Foster (Atlanta, Ga.) added nine points and three steals and junior guard Aysia Grimsley (Marietta, Ga.) rounded things out with nine points of her own.
 
Clayton State surged out to an early 8-2 lead by the 5:49 mark before GC equaled that run to send the teams to the second knotted at 10-10. The Bobcats would take a pair of four point leads at the start of that frame, the last coming at 18-14 with 5:59 on the clock. The Lakers would then rally to retake the lead at 21-19 with a 7-3 stretch before closing the half with a 24-21 advantage.
 
Georgia College would cut it to 28-27 over the first two plus minutes before Clayton State erupted for a 9-0 run over the next 2:28 to extend to a 37-27 margin by the 5:19 mark. The Bobcats would pull to within four behind six straight points but would find themselves down 42-35 entering the fourth.
 
That margin would grow to 46-37 with 7:24 on the clock but the Bobcats would answer back with a 13-5 run to pull within 51-50 with 1:06 left. A pair of free throws by Foster would push the lead to three at the 32 second mark but would be answered with two at the other end by Ta'Asia Wright to keep it at a one point deficit.
 
It would be Foster that would strike again, however, as she hit on one of two with 19 seconds left and Merriweather recovered a rebound at the other end. She promptly split a pair of free throws to make it 55-52 eight seconds later and Clayton State fended off a long attempt at the other end to secure the three-point victory.  
 
Wright led the Bobcats with a monster double-double of 16 points and 19 rebounds and Alyah McGriff finished with 14 points, seven boards and four steals. They were joined by Erin Drynan with eight points and six caroms and Shay Tarver with eight points.
 
The Lakers hit the road for a three-game road trip beginning at Flagler on Saturday, February 10. Game time is slated for 1:30 p.m. in St. Augustine, Florida.