MORROW, Ga. – On August 18, 1997, Clayton State Athletics completed a significant transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II. The 2017-18 season marked the 20^th anniversary of that accomplishment. Over a seven week span, the Sports Information Office has been releasing the top 20 moments in the NCAA era, one on each Monday, Wednesday and Friday with select exceptions. Today, we cap off that list with the No. 1 Moment in the Division II era.
  Twenty years of NCAA history comes down to one seminal moment on March 25, 2011. That night Clayton State achieved something no other team in the Southeast Region, or the State of Georgia for that matter, had before or since - No. 1 Women's Basketball Wins 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship.
 
In their seventh straight trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament, the Lakers had long since established themselves as a national power. In 2011 they established themselves as pretty much unbeatable. Winning their first 29 games of the season, and seeing their only loss come by just one point, Clayton State entered the postseason as one of the most formidable teams in the country.
 
They would go on to defeat Francis Marion, Barton and No. 6 Lander in the Southeast Regional, with the latter being a rematch of the No. 1 vs. No. 2 game earlier in the season. This time wasn't as close – 76-60. In their third Elite Eight they dismantled No. 15 Bentley 84-61, hammered Shaw 63-46 and then pummeled No. 3 Michigan Tech by a score of 69-50 in the national championship game.
 
Don't take our word for it – relive each of those moments below as we look back at the No. 1 Moment in Clayton State's Division II history.
  MORROW, Ga. – There was little doubt about how the Clayton State Laker women's basketball team would respond following its tough overtime defeat against USC Aiken in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals.
 
With five players scoring in double-figures, the No. 2-ranked Lakers opened the 2011 NCAA Division II National Tournament with an impressive 79-54 victory over visiting Francis Marion in the first round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional at the Athletics and Fitness Center. The victory improves Clayton State to 30-1 overall, marking the first 30-victory season for the Lakers in program history and just the fourth team in Peach Belt history to achieve the milestone.
 
Up next for Clayton State in the second round is Barton, which stunned Georgia College 80-79 in the opening round. The two teams will square off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night at the Athletics and Fitness Center.
 
Francis Marion concludes its season 18-10 overall.
 
"I thought the ladies responded and were excited to play basketball," said Clayton State head coach Dennis Cox. "That experience we had at Aiken was tough on us. It took us a few days to get our focus back. Something special ended, so we were anxious to get out there and play tonight and get that bad taste out of our mouth."
 
Get the bad taste out the Lakers did. Clayton State shot 53 percent from the field for the game and got 37 points from its bench. Teshymia Tillman paced the balanced Laker attack with 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field, while Latonda Bruce and Drameka Griggs each scored 12 points off the bench, and Brittany Hall and Kayla Mobley both added 10 points.
 
Good perimeter shooting was key for Clayton State early in the game. Alexis Griffin gave the Lakers a 19-10 lead at the 11:44 mark with a 3-point basket, and a 3-point basket by Griggs stretched the Clayton State lead to 24-14 with 8:30 remaining in the first half.
 
Griggs added another 3-point basket at the 2:59 mark to give the Lakers a 34-20 lead as Clayton State finished the first half on a 9-0 run to lead 40-20 at halftime.
 
The Lakers twice stretched the lead to 28 points early in the second half with some efficient offensive possessions. Mobley gave Clayton State a 55-27 lead with a lay-up with 14:42 remaining, and then a 57-29 lead at the 14:10 mark with a jump shot from the top of the key.
 
The closest that Francis Marion was able to cut the Laker lead was 18 points, 59-41 on a 3-point basket by Brittney Christian with 8:11 remaining. Clayton State pushed the lead back to 27 points on a Bruce 3-point basket at the 3:20 mark.
 
Shannon Singleton-Bates scored 20 points for Francis Marion, followed by Courtney Mealing with 13 points.
  MORROW, Ga. – Spearheaded by a strong final 15 minutes in the second half, the No. 2-ranked Clayton State Lakers advanced in the NCAA Division II Women's Southeast Regional on Saturday with an impressive 97-71 victory over visiting Barton at the Athletics and Fitness Center.
 
With the victory, the Lakers improve to 31-1 overall, tying the Peach Belt Conference mark for most overall victories in a season by a women's program. Clayton State advances to at least the NCAA Division II "Sweet 16" for the fourth time in program history, and the Lakers will square off against Peach Belt rival Lander in the Southeast Regional championship on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Athletics and Fitness Center.
 
It will be a heralded rematch of the classic regular season showdown between the two teams on Feb. 10. In that game, undefeated and No. 2-ranked Clayton State edged undefeated and No. 1-ranked Lander 83-81.
 
For a while, it looked in doubt as if the Lakers would make it to Monday. Clayton State shot only 33 percent from the field in the first half and trailed 38-37 at halftime against a determined Barton team that was coming off a big first-round victory over Georgia College. Then with 14:34 remaining in the contest, the score was deadlocked a 47-47.
 
That's when Clayton State made its move. The Lakers went on a 10-1 run as Drameka Griggs scored twice – once on a baseline jump shot and then on a lay-up off a Lady Bulldog turnover. Brittany Hall and Latonda Bruce followed with consecutive 3-point baskets and Clayton State led 57-48 with 13:29 remaining.
 
Barton never got closer than seven points after that as the Lakers' pressure defense eventually wore down the Lady Bulldogs.
 
Woodard gave Clayton State a 63-50 lead with a lay-up in transition at the 11:52 mark, and Bruce drained another 3-point basket to stretch the Laker lead to 70-52 with 8:51 remaining. Back-to-back lay-ups by Renee Jackson and Kayla Mobley gave Clayton State a 19-point lead with 6:48 remaining.
 
Clayton State finished the contest in a flurry with a 16-3 run, including the game's final 14 points.
 
Griggs was tremendous off the bench, pacing the Lakers with 22 points on 12-for-16 shooting from the free throw line. Bruce scored 17 points off the bench, while Hall scored 15 points, Tanisha Woodard scored 14 points and Teshymia Tillman added 12 points. Tillman recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds.
 
In the second half, Clayton State shot 53 percent from the field, including 75 percent from 3-point range.
 
Nyesha Willie and Jannetta Robinson each scored 23 points for Barton (26-5), while Jolanda Mitchell added 10 points.
  MORROW, Ga. – The trophy has been presented and the nets have been cut down. Now it's on to the NCAA Division II "Elite Eight" for the Clayton State Laker women's basketball team.
 
Playing host to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championship on Monday night, Clayton State punched its ticket to the Division II Elite Eight with an impressive 76-60 victory over Peach Belt Conference rival Lander in front of a near-capacity crowd at the Athletics and Fitness Center. With the victory, No. 2-ranked Clayton State is now 32-1 overall, giving the Lakers the most victories in a season by a Peach Belt women's team.
 
This will be the third NCAA Division II Elite Eight for Clayton State. The Lakers also advanced in both 2007 and 2009. No. 6-ranked Lander ended its season 29-4.
 
Clayton State had a stellar offensive game, shooting 55 percent from the field and 79 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore center Kayla Mobley scored a career-high 21 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the field, while senior forward Teshymia Tillman scored 19 points and became the seventh player in Clayton State women's basketball history to eclipse 1,000 career points.
 
In addition, junior guard Drameka Griggs scored 12 points of the bench. Griggs was selected to the All-Tournament team, while Tillman earned Regional Most Valuable Player honors.
 
However, it was the Lakers' half-court defense that was the difference, especially in the second half.
 
After a first half with featured 10 lead-changes, Clayton State used a 10-0 run early in the second half to lead by 13 points. A lay-up by Tanisha Woodard gave the Lakers a 44-31 lead at the 15:48 mark.
 
Lander crept back into the game thanks to a 14-4 run. Center Shannon McKever scored twice in the paint and a 3-point basket by Brianna Webb trimmed the Laker lead to 49-45 with 1:22 remaining. However, that was as close as the Lady Bearcats would get.
 
Clayton State responded with a 14-0 run to put the game out of reach. Tillman started the rally with a key 3-point basket, followed by a 3-point play by Latonda Bruce to give the Lakers a 55-45 lead at the 9:37 mark. Two more lay-ups by Tillman stretched the Clayton State lead to 63-45 with 7:23 remaining.
 
The Lakers' largest lead of the game was 19 points. Clayton State shot 59 percent from the field in the second half.
 
Brittni Johnson scored 14 points for Lander, while McKever, Tasheba Butler and Mukia Myrick each scored 10 points.
  ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – It's on to the NCAA Division II Final Four for the Clayton State Laker women's basketball team!
 
With four players scoring in double-figures, the No. 2-ranked Lakers rolled to an impressive 84-61 victory over No. 15-ranked Bentley in the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals on Tuesday at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. Clayton State improves to 33-1 overall and will meet Shaw in the NCAA Division II Semifinals on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. (CDT) at the St. Joseph Civic Arena.
 
The game will be televised live on ESPNU. Bentley finished its season 29-4.
 
This will be the second time in program history that Clayton State has advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four in women's basketball. Head coach Dennis Cox's Lakers also made the Final Four in 2007.
 
Clayton State got off to a slow start, trailing by as many as six points early before leading 29-18 with 5:19 remaining on a lay-up by Teshymia Tillman. But Bentley closed out the half on a 13-4 run and cut the Laker lead to 33-31 at halftime.
 
However, it was all Lakers in the second half. Clayton State opened the half out-scoring Bentley 23-5 in the first seven minutes of the half. A lay-up by Shacamra Jackson off an offensive rebound gave the Lakers an 11-point lead with 17:47 remaining. That was followed by a driving lay-up by Drameka Griggs to give Clayton State a 46-33 lead at the 16:16 mark.
 
Tillman and Griggs drained back-to-back 3-point baskets, increasing the Laker lead to 19 points. Griggs then converted a transition lay-up off a steal, and Clayton State had a commanding 57-36 lead at the 12:49 mark.
 
Bentley never got closer than 17 points from that moment on. Tillman drained another 3-point basket to increase the Clayton State lead to 64-41 with 9:05 remaining. Breanna Fort followed with a lay-up on baseline to make the Laker lead 73-48 at the 6:07 mark.
 
In the second half alone, Clayton State shot 53 percent from the field, including 8-for-10 (80 percent from 3-point range, and 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
 
Tillman paced the Lakers with 22 points. In addition, she became the first player in Clayton State women's basketball history to score 500 or more points in two straight seasons. Fort and Tanisha Woodard each scored 14 points, while Griggs scored 13 points off the bench. Woodard also recorded seven steals as the Clayton State press wore down Bentley in the second half.
 
For Bentley, Courtney Finn scored 15 points, followed by Kim Brennan with 14 points, Jacqui Brugliera scored 12 points and Lauren Battista added 10 points.
  ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Clayton State Laker women's basketball team is heading to the NCAA Division II National Championship game!
 
Spurred by a second-half defensive surge, Clayton State pulled away with a hard-fought 63-46 triumph over Shaw on Wednesday in the NCAA Division II "Final Four" at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. The victory improves the No. 2-ranked Lakers to 34-1 overall, and Clayton State advances to Friday's NCAA Division II National Championship game against the winner of the Michigan Tech/Northwest Missouri State winner.
 
The contest is set for 8 p.m. at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. It will be televised live on ESPN2. This marks the first time ever that a Clayton State team in any sport will play for a national championship.
 
The Lakers had a lot to overcome against Shaw with the Bears' size and physical play. However, Clayton State limited Shaw to only 24 percent shooting from the field and forced 29 Bear turnovers in pulling away in the second half.
 
Clayton State clung to a five-point lead with 12:12 remaining in the game when a lay-up by Aslea Williams brought Shaw to within five, 41-36. But Clayton State finished the game on a 23-10 run to close it out.
 
A 3-point basket by Brittany Hall stretched the Clayton State lead to 46-36 with 11:18 remaining. The Lakers then pushed the lead to 50-37 on back-to-back lay-ups by Teshymia Tillman and Breanna Fort at the 8:16 mark.
 
But perhaps the dagger in Shaw's back came at the 5:48 mark when Tillman drained a 3-point basket following a Bear turnover. That gave the Lakers a 55-39 lead.
 
Clayton State's largest lead of the game was 19 points on three occasions in the final five minutes. A Shacamra Jackson lay-up gave the Lakers a 63-44 lead with 1:12 remaining.
 
Sophomore forward Kayla Mobley paced the Lakers with 13 points off the bench, followed by senior forward Renee Jackson with 10 points off the bench. Hall scored nine points, and Drameka Griggs and Tanisha Woodard each added eight points.
 
For Shaw, Demaria Lyles scored 13 points, and Williams scored 11 points. The Bears missed their first 16 shots from the field and fell behind early by 10 points twice in the first half, but Shaw rallied late and cut the Clayton State lead to 27-23 at halftime.
 
Shaw finished its season 25-12, capping an amazing late-season run with 13 victories in its final 15 games.
  ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - As they fielded questions in the post-game press conference following their team's victory over Shaw in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Final Four, a since of pride came over the faces of Clayton State players Teshymia Tillman and Tanisha Woodard.
 
The chance to play for "All the Marbles" in Division II women's basketball and bring the first-ever national championship in any sport back to Clayton State was enough to exert that pride. Also, it would be the first women's basketball national championship at any four-year level in Georgia.
 
"Awesome – a blessing," gushed Tillman with a smile. "It seems like I have been playing forever, and I've won only one championship in my life. But our entire focus this year was to win a national championship. It's like a second family here and I wouldn't rather be here with no one else but them. It's just a blessing,"
 
Added Woodard: "Being with them to reach one of our biggest goals in every one of our lives is just great. We have worked hard for this from day one, and to be here and get a chance to accomplish one of our goals together is just unbelievable."
 
Tillman, Woodard and the rest of the Clayton State Laker women's basketball team will have that destiny on Friday night when they square off against Michigan Tech in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at the St. Joseph Civic Arena, and it will be televised live on ESPN2.
 
The No. 2-ranked Lakers come into the contest 34-1 overall, while No. 3-ranked Michigan Tech is 31-2. Clayton State advanced to Friday's title tilt with victories over Bentley (84-61) and Shaw (63-46), while Michigan Tech made it with victories over Arkansas Tech (69-58) and Northwest Missouri State (89-78).
 
This is the first ever meeting between the teams.
 
The game features two contrasting styles – Clayton State's relentless pressure defense against the deadeye shooting accuracy of Michigan Tech. In their victory over Northwest Missouri State, the Huskies shot 48 percent from the field, but 47 percent (9-for-19) from 3-point range and 90 percent (28-for-31) from the free throw line.
 
In fact, Michigan Tech has four players on their roster shooting better than 40-percent from 3-point range. Senior guard Angela Guisfredi shoots 50-percent from 3-point range, while forward Lucy Dernovsek shoots 43-percent from beyond the arc and sophomore guard Sam Hoyt is at 42-percent. Finally, freshman forward Kate Glodowski shoots 41-percent from 3-point range off the bench.
 
When Michigan Tech is not launching it from long-range, the Huskies rely on senior center Lisa Staehlin for the inside production. Staehlin leads Michigan tech in scoring at 12 points a game and shoots 61-percent from the field.
 
To combat the Huskie offensive attack, Clayton State will depend strongly on its full-court pressure defense that has been its bread-and-butter all season. The Lakers are forcing almost 30 turnovers a game and are leading the nation in steals and turnover margin.
 
Two Lakers have eclipsed 100 steals on the season – Woodard with 123 and sophomore guard Drameka Griggs with 104. In addition, junior guard Brittany Hall has recorded 93 steals.
 
Offensively, Tillman has become the first Clayton State player in Laker women's basketball history to eclipse 500 points in two straight seasons. She is now fifth all-time in scoring at Clayton State with 1,039 career points. In addition, Woodard is only eight points shy of becoming the seventh player in Laker women's basketball history to reach 1,000 career points.
 
Tillman leads the Lakers in scoring at 15 points a game, while Woodard averages 12 points and Griggs averages 11 points. Hall leads the Peach Belt Conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.430) and Woodard leads the conference in steals.
  ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – What got the Clayton State Laker women's basketball team all the way through the 2010-11 season was the reason for what it was rewarded on Friday night – the NCAA Division II National Championship!
 
Utilizing its vaunted pressure defense, the Lakers took over the second half and cruised to an impressive 69-50 victory over Michigan Tech in the 2010-11 NCAA Division II National Championship game at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. The national championship was the first for Clayton State in any sport in its athletic history.
 
In addition, the Lakers became the first women's basketball team to win a national championship from the Peach Belt Conference and the first women's basketball team to win a national championship for a four-year program in the state of Georgia in the NCAA/NAIA era.
 
Clayton State finished its banner season a whopping 35-1 overall.
 
The Lakers were paced by senior forward Teshymia Tillman with a game-high 26 points on 12-for-18 shooting from the field. Sophomore guard Drameka Griggs scored 12 points off the bench, while Latonda Bruce and Brittany Hall each added seven points. However, it was the pressure defense that the Lakers have become known for that was the difference.
 
Clayton State held a strong-shooting Michigan Tech team to only 38 percent shooting from the field and forced 25 Huskie turnovers. With the score tied 22-22, the Lakers finished the half on a 9-2 run as Bruce drained a 3-point basket and Griggs scored on a driving lay-up to give Clayton State a 31-24 lead at halftime.
 
But it was the first five minutes of the second half where the Lakers took control. Clayton State opened the half on an 11-0 run to take an 18-point lead. Tillman scored six points on three lay-ups, while Brittany Hall drained a 3-point basket from the corner as the Lakers lead 42-24 at the 18:14 mark.
 
A 3-point basket by Kayla Mobley and two straight lay-ups in transition by Tillman stretched the Clayton State lead to 22 points, 51-29 with 13:26 remaining.
 
The closest Michigan Tech could get was 16 points from that moment on. A lay-up by Lindsey Lindstrom brought the Huskies to 57-41 with 7:49 remaining. Clayton State answered with lay-ups by Tillman and Breanna Fort, and a lay-up by Tillman gave the Lakers a 67-45 lead at the 3:05 mark.
 
Tillman finished her brilliant two-year career as the NCAA Division II Elite Eight Most Valuable Player, while Griggs was selected to the All-Tournament Team. Tillman concluded her career with 1,055 career points – fourth all-time at Clayton State.
 
For Michigan Tech (31-3), Lisa Staehlin scored 18 points, followed by Sam Hoyt with 11 points.
 
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That epic moment concludes our countdown of the Top-20 Clayton State Athletics Moments in the Division II Era. Stay tuned to www.ClaytonStateAthletics.com as current and future Lakers deliver more moments just like these.
 
Schedule of NCAA 20^th Anniversary Countdown Releases
No. 1 Women's Basketball Wins 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship (July 11)
No. 2 Women's Tennis Earns Berth in NCAA Division II Final Four in 2011 (July 9)
No. 3 Men's Soccer Makes Run to Elite Eight; Finishes No. 5 in Nation (July 5)
No. 4 Women's Basketball Makes NCAA Tournament for a Decade (July 2)
No. 5 Jackeline Nieto Becomes Only Five Time All-American in Laker History (June 29)
No. 6 Kreutzer Delivers Freshman Cross Country Season For The Ages in 2004 (June 27)
No. 7 Men's Basketball Makes Improbable Run to 2008 NCAA Region Final (June 25)
No. 8 Men's Golf's Wilcox Produces 2008 PBC Championship and NCAA Appearance (June 22)
No. 9 Marti Bartis' Two First-Team Selections Anchor Academic All-America Selections (June 20)
No. 10 Men's Golf Becomes First Clayton State Program to Reach NCAA Championships in 1999 (June 18)
No. 11 Eight Individual PBC Championships in Calendar Year by Cross Country and Track (June 15)
No. 12 Men's Soccer Wins Five PBC Championships in Three Seasons From 2005-07 (June 13)
No. 13 Women's Tennis Claims Rare PBC Championship in 2001 (June 11)
No. 14 Women's Soccer Sweeps PBC Titles and Heads to NCAA's in 2005 (June 8)
No. 15 Women's Basketball Makes First Elite Eight in 2006-07 (June 6)
No. 16 Men's Cross Country Delivers Record Setting 2005 Season (June 4)
No. 17 Women's Basketball Wins No. 1 vs. No. 2 Game vs. Lander on February 10, 2011 (June 1)
No. 18 Men's Basketball Wins First Ever PBC Championship in 2001-02 Regular Season Finale (May 30)
No. 19 Women's Cross Country Wins PBC, Heads to 2012 NCAA National Championships (May 28)
No. 20 Women's Tennis Makes NCAA Tournament in 1999 (May 25)