DAHLONEGA, Ga. – A 21-6 second quarter run put Clayton State (10-6, 6-4 PBC) in a hole they would not recover from as No. 20/22 North Georgia (13-3, 8-2 PBC) posted an 89-68 decision in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Wednesday, January 23.
 
Junior guard Taneria Wilson (Fort Pierce, Fla.) led the Lakers with 14 points, four rebounds and three steals while junior forward Kelsie Towns (Butler, Ga.) and junior center Brittany Williams (Albany, Ga.) each finished with 12 points and three boards. Redshirt-junior guard Madison Newby (Lawrenceville, Ga.) added 10 points and four caroms and senior center Aleisha Merriweather (Augusta, Ga.) closed things out with nine points.
 
The Nighthawks would waste no time as they raced out to a 9-0 lead over the first 2:28 before Clayton State got six points from Towns as part of a 10-0 streak of their own. That gave them a one point lead at the 4:17 mark but UNG would close the frame with a 12-6 stretch to retake the lead at 21-16.
 
Things would continue trending in that direction over the first 6:49 as Amber Skidgel put up eight points and Vanessa Agrusa six as North Georgia put together a 21-6 run that left them with a 42-22 advantage. The Lakers would recover over the final 3:11 as they closed with a 9-4 burst to narrow the gap to 46-31 at the break.
 
It would be short-lived, however, as a three by Skidgel ignited a third quarter that would see the Nighthawks outscore Clayton State 26-15. That performance gave them their largest lead of the night, 72-46, by the close of the period.
 
That lead would eventually grow to 27 with a 73-46 spread by the 9:20 mark of the fourth before back-to-back buckets by Towns cut it to a 23 point deficit. They would eventually get it down to 17 at 81-64 but UNG would go on to wrap up the 89-68 victory down the stretch.
 
Skidgel led five Nighthawks in double-figures with 19 points and seven boards while Agrusa finished with 12 points, four caroms and a game-high eight assists. Tamera Thorpe registered 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Abbie Franklin had 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and Faith Arthur rounded things out with 12 points and six boards.
 
The Lakers return home on Saturday, January 26 when they take on UNC Pembroke. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. at The Loch.
 
NOTES
Williams 12 points surpassed her previous career-high of nine set at No. 3 Carson-Newman on November 20, 2018.