MORROW, Ga. – Junior guard Taneria Wilson (Fort Pierce, Fla.) came close to a triple-double and helped fuel Clayton State's (8-4, 4-2 PBC) commanding 80-60 victory over Francis Marion (6-4, 3-3 PBC) in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Saturday, January 12.
 
Wilson finished with 16 points, seven boards and a career-high six assists to lead the Lakers while senior center Aleisha Merriweather (Augusta, Ga.) ripped down a career-high tying 12 rebounds to go with eight points.
 
They were joined by senior forward Velencia Johnson (Hoover, Ala.) with 12 points and five steals and sophomore guard Tatiana Foster (Atlanta, Ga.) and redshirt-senior guard Monica Alexander (Richmond, Va.) finished with 16 and 11 points, respectively. Junior forward Kelsie Towns (Butler, Ga.) rounded the top performers with nine points and six boards.
 
After a quick three-pointer gave Clayton State the early lead, a series of three lead changes put FMU ahead, 6-5, with 7:01 left in the first. That would be a margin they would extend to 15-9 as part of an overall 11-4 run that culminated with a Shaunice Fulmore three-pointer at the 3:54 mark. From there they would close out the frame with an 18-13 advantage.
 
Things would turn quickly as a three by to start the second quarter ignited a 12-4 flurry that left the Lakers with a 25-22 lead with 5:34 left in the half. Following a pair of free throws by the Patriots Abigail Bullock, five straight points from Towns made it 30-24 two minutes later. FMU would cut the deficit to four on four occasions, the last being a 36-32 Clayton State lead at the break.
 
While it would be Francis Marion that closed the first half on the upswing, it would be the Lakers that would come out of the locker room that way. Over the first three minutes they put together a 13-4 stretch that made it 49-36 by the 7:09 mark.
 
The Patriots would stop the bleeding and cut it back to a 10 point margin on a pair of occasions before a traditional three-point play by Alexander extended to a 54-41 margin with 4:38 on the clock. They would maintain that double-digit lead and close the quarter with a 59-45 advantage.
 
The fourth would see FMU come alive behind six straight points from Fulmore as part of a 9-0 run that pulled them to within 59-54 by the 7:01 mark. That would be as close as they would come, however, as Clayton State would score the next 10 points to blow up any thoughts of a comeback as they made it 69-54 with 5:21 to play. That would be the beginning of an overall 21-6 run that closed out the 80-60 victory.
 
Fulmore delivered an outstanding offensive game to lead FMU as she finished with a game-high 28 points and pulled down a team-high eight boards. She was joined by Briana Burgins with 12 points and four caroms and Bullock with a game-high tying six assists and four points. Zaria Woods added six points and four assists and Kiana Adderton chipped in with seven points and five rebounds.

The Lakers are right back in action at The Loch as they host Georgia College on Wednesday, January 16. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at The Loch.
 

Francis Marion vs. Clayton State (1/12/19)

Francis Marion vs. Clayton State (1/12/19) - Postgame Interview

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