MORROW, Ga. – An early offensive outburst was all it would take as Clayton State (12-6, 8-4 PBC) powered past Georgia Southwestern (8-10, 5-7 PBC) by a 78-63 score in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Wednesday, January 30.
 
Junior forward Kelsie Towns (Butler, Ga.) delivered another career night with 16 points and eight boards, both career-highs, to lead Clayton State while redshirt-junior guard Madison Newby (Lawrenceville, Ga.) finished with 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
 
They were joined by sophomore guard Dalania Clardy (Riverdale, Ga.) with 10 points, five caroms and a pair of steals and sophomore guard Tatiana Foster (Atlanta, Ga.) with eight points, a career-best seven boards, two steals and two assists. Redshirt-senior center Shaquoria Miles (Garysburg, N.C.) rounded out things with nine rebounds, four offensive.
 
Clayton State would set the tone early, erupting for a 14-0 run over the first 6:58, six by Wilson, before extending to a 17-2 advantage by the 2:15 mark. GSW would pick up four points before the end of the frame to cut it to a 13 point deficit but it would not get any better.
 
That margin would quickly grow to 17 points on several occasions, the last at 31-14 with 1:13 left in the second. The Lakers would then close the half with a commanding 34-18 lead.
 
Back-to-back bombs from beyond the arc by Foster and Alexander immediately pushed the led to over 20, specifically 22 points with a 40-18 spread by the 7:46 mark. That would eventually grow to 48-23 five minutes later before the Hurricanes rolled out a 13-2 run to cut it to 52-36 with 9:12 to go in the fourth.
 
From there Clayton State would maintain at least a 14 point margin and hold a 59-43 lead with 6:15 left before GSW pulled to within 63-51 three minutes later. That would be as close as they would get, however, as the Lakers would salt away the 78-63 victory over the final three minutes.
 
Mariya Trimble led the way for Georgia Southwestern with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds while Morgan Towells finished with 10 points, seven boards and five assists. Jamesha Samuels added 12 points and Kris Beckham had eight points and five caroms. Lex Chatman pulled down seven boards and Madison Johnson notched eight points to round out the top performers.
 
The Lakers hit the road for one of the shortest excursions away from home as they travel roughly an hour and a half south to face rival Columbus State. That game is slated for Saturday, February 2 with tip-off at 1:30 p.m. in Columbus, Georgia.
 

Georgia Southwestern vs. Clayton State (1/30/19)