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 is releasing the top 20 moments in the NCAA era, one on each Monday, Wednesday and Friday with select exceptions.
  The countdown continues with No. 4 Women's Basketball Makes NCAA Tournament for a Decade.
 
Clayton State women's basketball went from six losing seasons in seven NCAA campaigns, including a 10-18 mark in 2003-04, to making 10 straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and becoming one of the premier teams in the Southeast Region – and the country. Those 10 straight appearances are the most consecutive by any PBC women's basketball program.
 
That all began with the 2004-05 squad that went 25-7, swept the Peach Belt Conference regular season and tournament championships, made the postseason and won their first ever NCAA Tournament game.
 
Below are a selection of releases from that time, including the first ever trip (March 7, 2005) and first NCAA Tournament win (March 11, 2005). We continue with the 2013 selection following an undefeated regular season (March 10, 2013) and Southeast Region Championship (March 18, 2013) and wrap up with the selection release from the 10^th straight trip (March 9, 2014).
 
Additionally, we have links to the schedule for all 12 of the Lakers NCAA Tournament Appearances. Every single one of those campaigns was a 20-plus win season with two of them surpassing 30 wins.   MORROW, Ga. – By winning the 2005 Peach Belt Conference Tournament, the Clayton College & State University women's basketball team received an automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Division II national tournament and late Sunday evening, the Lakers learned their opponent and seed.
 
Clayton State will enter its South Atlantic Regional as the No. 2 seed and face Newberry College, the seventh seed out of the South Atlantic Conference. Tip-off for Friday's game will be 3 p.m. at Shaw University in Raleigh, NC, the top seed and host for the 2005 South Atlantic Regional.
 
If the Lakers win on Friday, they will advance to the play the winner of the game between Carson-Newman, the No. 3 seed, and Fayetteville State, the No. 6 seed.
 
Newberry will enter the game with an 18-11 record and is coming off a 67-53 loss to the Wingate, the conference's top seed, in the SAC semifinals. The Indians advanced to the semifinal game against Wingate with an upset win over Catawba 73-59 last Wednesday.
 
The Indians have been led this season by freshman sensations Carnicha Bellinger and Tonique Frasier. Bellinger, a 5-10 guard, leads the team, averaging 16 points per game, while Frasier, a 6-0 forward, is the team's second leading scorer and top rebounder at 11 points and eight rebounds per contest.
 
Bellinger, who has led the team in scoring 19 times this season, had 17 points and 10 rebounds against Wingate on Friday, while Frasier poured in 21 points last week in its win over Catawba to go along with Bellinger's 13 rebounds.
 
Newberry has had some success this season against several Peach Belt Conference teams, defeating USC Aiken, Lander, USC Upstate and Kennesaw State. All four of the wins were by seven points or less. The only loss the Indians had against a PBC team came at the hands of Columbus State 82-74.
 
Clayton State faced Newberry once in women's basketball with that game coming last year. The Lakers defeated the Indians 77-42. Carlie Anderson led the way for the Lakers with 22 points in the game.
 
Clayton State is riding a school record 10-game winning streak and is coming off a thrilling 83-76 overtime victory over Columbus State in the finals of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament.
 
Junior Jasmine Patterson was the hero, pouring in a career and school record 35 points in the game, garnering the Most Valuable Player award for the tournament. Patterson hit big shot after big shot down the stretch and came just two points shy of tying the single game PBC Tournament record for points in a game of 37 set by Columbus' Que Gilliam in 1997.
 
Of Patterson's 35 points, 26 of them came after halftime when the Lakers trailed 37-33 at the break. All-Tournament player Jamika Hindsman finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals, while Shelcey Harp had 15 points, eight boards, three assists and three steals.
 
Clayton State's appearance in the NCAA Division II National Tournament will be a first since the program has been competing at the Division II level since 1997-98.
  RALEIGH, N.C. – The Clayton College & State University women's basketball team took a step closer down the road to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, winning its first round game Friday in the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional.
 
A 28-7 run in just over a 10-minute stretch in the second half was the difference, as the Lakers turned a close contest into a whopping victory, defeating Newberry College 79-54 at the regional hosted by Shaw University.
 
The Lakers, the No. 2 seed, will try to keep their 11-game winning streak alive on Saturday, facing the No. 3 seed Carson-Newman College. The Eagles defeated Fayetteville State University, the No. 6 seed in the first round, 79-67, to advance to Saturday's 6 p.m. semifinal game.
 
Saturday's meeting will be the second of the season between Clayton State and Carson-Newman, the top team out of the South Atlantic Conference. Earlier this season, Clayton State came away with a 76-54 win in the finals of the Heritage Bank Tip-Off Classic.
 
"We got off to a good start, and I was happy about that," said head coach Dennis Cox. "You're always worried about getting off to a slow start in a game of this magnitude. For whatever reason, we went a little stale in the second half, and they cut the deficit to six points. We brought some players off the bench at that time, and they responded to push our lead back to double-digits. I thought that was the key to the game."
 
With the win, the Lakers improve to a school-best 25-6 on the season and extend their school record winning streak to 11 games. Clayton State's last loss came at the hands of Columbus State University over a month ago. The loss ends Newberry's season at 18-12 on the year.
 
Leading by only six points, 47-41, with 14:20 remaining, Clayton State took control of Friday's contest with its 21-point second half run. Junior Carlie Anderson ignited the run, draining a three-pointer at the 13:57 mark, giving the squad a 50-41 advantage.
 
After both teams swapped baskets for the next four minutes, a layup by senior Jamika Hindsman, followed by an inside move from senior Brandi Catia gave the Lakers a 14-point advantage, 60-46.
 
With the score 62-48, Clayton State pushed its lead to 21 points with seven unanswered points that were aided a two Newberry technical fouls. Junior Shelcey Harp drained all four free throws from the technical fouls, followed by Hindsman converting a three-point play on the Lakers ensuing possession. The Lakers led 69-48 with 7:14 remaining.
 
Clayton State's Cynthia Conseil capped the 28-7 run at the 3:13 mark, giving the Lakers a 27-point advantage, 75-48.
 
"We never thought it would be easy," said Hindsman. "When you get this far, all the teams are good. They are good. We just had a nice run there in the second half."
 
The Lakers led from the opening tip and pushed their lead to 11 points, 14-3, early with a basket by Catia at the 16:30 mark. Clayton State took its quick lead thanks to a trio of three-pointers by sophomore Basia Bukowska in the first five minutes of the contest.
 
Newberry answered at the 10:42 on a basket by leading scorer Carnicha Bellinger cut the Laker lead to four points, 20-16. Clayton State responded over the final minutes of the half and pushed its lead to 13 points, 42-29, at intermission on a basket by senior April Taylor.
 
For Clayton State, Harp finished with a game high 19 points, hitting 6-of-11 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Hindsman added 15 points to go along with 10 rebounds, three assists and five steals. Catia sparked the Lakers off the bench with 11 points and five boards.
 
Bellinger and Ashlee Wright led Newberry with 10 points apiece.
 
Clayton State shot 46 percent (29-of-63) from the floor, while Newberry hit 39 percent (19-of-49). Clayton State out rebounded the Indians 39-31 and won the battle on the offensive boards 14-9. The Lakers forced 21 turnovers compared to committing only 16.
  MORROW, Ga. – The bids are out, the brackets are filled, and the NCAA Division II women's basketball Southeast Regional is coming back once again to Clayton State.
 
The NCAA Division II championship committee officially released the 64-team field for the 2013 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Tournament, and No. 1-ranked Clayton State was selected as the host site for the NCAA Division II Southeast Regionals. The Regional will take place on Friday, Saturday and Monday (Mar. 15, 16 and 18) at the Athletics & Fitness Center.
 
This marks the third time that Clayton State, the Peach Belt Conference regular season and PBC Tournament champions, have played host to an NCAA Division II women's basketball regional. The Lakers played host to the NCAA Division II South Atlantic in 2007 and the Southeast Regional in 2011.
 
Clayton State (29-0) will be the No. 1 seed in the eight-team field and will play No. 8 seed Mount Olive (18-11) from Conference Carolinas in the opening round. Mount Olive won the Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship Sunday with a 79-74 overtime win over Pfeiffer.
 
The other opening round match-ups pit No. 2 Limestone (25-3) against No. 7 Barton (21-7), No. 3 Anderson (23-8) against No. 6 Pfeiffer (24-6) and No. 4 Lenoir-Rhyne (19-9) against No. 5 USC Aiken (21-7).
 
The winner of the Southeast Regional will join the seven other regional champions at the 2013 NCAA Division II Women's Elite Eight in San Antonio, Texas, on March 26-29.
 
For Clayton State, this marks the ninth straight bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Tournament – the most consecutive NCAA Division II women's basketball appearances by a Peach Belt Conference team. The Lakers captured the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2011 and have captured regional titles three times since 2007 
 
Game times for each round will be announced later in the week.
  MORROW, Ga. - Drameka Griggs scored 23 points off the bench with Southeast Region Most Outstanding Player Kayla Mobley adding a double-double as Clayton State's women's basketball team punched its ticket to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight with an, 87-65, win over Limestone in the Southeast Regional Final.
 
Griggs had a game-best five steals to go with her 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and an 8-of-13 mark from the charity stripe.
 
The Lakers out-rebounded Limestone, 47-31, and used their 14 offensive rebounds to outscore Limestone, 14-0, in second chance points.
 
The Lakers (32-0) never trailed in the contest, though Limestone (27-4) did its best to pull back into contention.  A quick 6-0 spurt by Limestone pulled the guests back within six, 47-41, with just under 14 minutes to go in the contest. The Lakers kept Limestone at arm's length, getting back-to-back buckets by Keona Dixon and Mobley to stretch the lead back to double-digits.
 
With just under nine minutes to go in the contest, the Lakers seized control for good. A 3-pointer by Griggs and a 3-point play from Shacamra Jackson bounced the lead back to 15 at the 7:29 mark of the contest. When Jackson connected on her only 3-pointer of the contest two minutes later, the Lakers led, 71-53, and were on cruise control for the rest of the way.
 
Mobley's 12 rebounds were a game high, with the senior scoring 17 points to complete the double-double.  Jackson added 16 points for the Lakers, with Bena Hanyard chipping in 10 for the home squad.
 
Tia Williams scored a game-high 25 points for Limestone, thanks in part to 11-of-13 shooting from the foul line.  Stephanie Hayes netted 17 points for Limestone. The Saints were 0-of-15 from 3-point territory in the first half, but connected on 5-of-10 from beyond the arc in the second half to stay in the contest.
 
The Lakers will continue their quest for perfection and a second national championship in three years on March 26 at Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio, Texas.
 
Clayton State will begin the journey to a possible national championship on Tuesday, March 26, when they face Augustana in the first game of the Elite Eight at 1:00 p.m. Central Time. All games of the Elite Eight will be played at Bill Greehey Arena on the campus of St. Mary's University in San Antonio.
 
Located in Sioux Falls, SD, Augustana (27-6) was the surprise winner of the central region. A #6 seed, the Vikings beat eighth-seeded Emporia State 75-74 on a pair of free throws with one second on the clock. Ranked #24 in the nation, Augustana set a school record for wins in a season this year and won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) tournament title.
  MORROW, Ga. - For the 10th straight season, the Clayton State women's basketball team will be dancing again in March.
 
The NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship committee officially released the 64-team field for the "Big Dance" Sunday evening, and the Lakers received a bid for the 2014 National Tournament as one of eight teams selected from the NCAA Division II Southeast Region.
 
Clayton State (22-6) will be the No. 2 seeded team from the region and will face seventh-seeded Limestone (24-5) in the opening round. Lenoir-Rhyne (24-5), from the South Atlantic Conference, is the top-seeded team in the region and will be the host for the event.
 
The Southeast Regional will take place on Friday, Saturday and Monday (Mar. 14, 15 and 17) at the Shuford Memorial Gymnasium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory, N.C.
 
The other opening round match-ups pit top-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne against No. 8 Armstrong (19-7), No. 3 Wingate (24-5) against No. 6 Belmont Abbey (21-8) and No. 4 North Georgia (22-6) against No. 5 Columbus State (21-7). If the Lakers win in the first round, they would play the winner of Wingate and Belmont Abbey on Saturday.
 
The winner of the Southeast Regional will join the seven other regional champions at the 2014 NCAA Division II Women's "Elite Eight" in Erie, Pa. on March 25-28.
 
For Clayton State, this marks the 10^th straight bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Tournament – the most consecutive NCAA Division II women's basketball appearances by a Peach Belt Conference team.
 
The Lakers are the defending Southeast Region Champions and won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2011. The Lakers have captured regional titles four times since 2007.
 
Game times for the regional games will be announced later in the week.
 
Schedule of NCAA 20^th Anniversary Countdown Releases
No. 1 (July 11)
No. 2 (July 9)
No. 3 (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)