ANDERSON, S.C. – In a rematch of last year's Southeast Regional Quarterfinal, Clayton State (1-0, 0-0 PBC) recovered from a 13 point first half deficit with a 17-0 second half run to turn the tables on Wingate (0-1, 0-0 SAC) and pull out a season opening 78-74 victory in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Friday, November 8 as part of the SAC/PBC Challenge.
 
Junior forward Timi'a Swanson (Americus, Ga.) had a strong debut in the Orange and Blue as she finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals in just 20 minutes while going an impressive 10-of-11 from the foul line. Not far behind her was senior guard Taneria Wilson (Fort Pierce, Fla.) with 15 points, five boards and a career-high tying six steals.
 
Redshirt-senior guard Christal Williams (Riverdale, Ga.) showed no rust after sitting out last season as she logged 25 minutes and came away with nine points, seven assists and two steals. Senior forward Kelsie Towns (Butler, Ga.) and redshirt-junior forward Dejah Montgomery (Cordova, Tenn.) each had eight points and four and three rebounds, respectively, to round out the top performers.
 
Clayton State quickly found themselves down 9-0 the Bulldogs raced out of the gate over the game's first 3:46 before regaining their footing to pull to within 19-15 with 1:09 left in the opening frame. WU would close the quarter with a 23-16 lead before pushing to a 31-18 advantage behind an 8-2 run that spanned the break and culminated at the 6:11 mark of the second quarter.
 
Four different scorers would then fuel an 11-5 burst that pulled the Lakers back to a six point margin, 36-29, with 58 seconds left in the half. Following a steal and fast break bucket by Destiny Coleman, the Bulldogs then took a nine point spread into the half.
 
Having maintained that margin over the first 3:23 of the third quarter, Clayton State drew even at 43-43 behind another balanced attack, this one a 7-0 run that capped at the 5:12 mark. WU answered with an 8-2 burst of their own to extend to a 53-45 lead with 2:50 left in the frame but things would change dramatically from there.
 
Over the next 4:19 a total of six different players would demolish the Bulldog defense as they put together a game changing 17-0 run that left them with a 62-53 lead with 8:31 to play in the fourth. No player would have more than five points during that stretch, that coming from Swanson early in the run.
 
In a matchup of two teams that not only met in last season's postseason but have also seen each other in each of the last three regular seasons, there was no expectation that Wingate would just go away. With the score at 67-58 and 5:57 left in regulation, the Bulldogs used three free throws and an Elana Ingram fast break bucket to cut the deficit to 67-63 by the 4:13 mark.
 
The Lakers would answer with a 6-2 stretch to push to a 73-65 advantage little over a minute and a half later but could not shake WU. Another basket by Coleman off of an offensive rebound, paired with three straight from the foul line as a team, cut it to a three point margin before Clayton State extended to a 76-72 lead with 26 seconds left.
 
Following a rebound off a missed foul shot and a timeout, the Bulldogs got a layup out of Bryanna Troutman with 16 seconds on the clock that cut it to 76-74. They would foul to extend the game but it wouldn't play to their advantage as Christal Williams calmly stepped to the line and sank a pair of free throws. Wingate would then manage only a missed layup with three seconds on the clock as the Lakers closed out the 78-74 victory.
 
Coleman led all scorers with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting and ripped down 10 boards for a double-double to lead WU. She would be one of three Bulldogs to achieve that feat on the day as Troutman had 10 points and 14 rebounds to go with three assists and Teliyah Jeter finished with 12 points and as many caroms. Ingram and Jasmine Stephen each added eight points to close things out.
 
The Lakers are right back in action tomorrow as they take on host No. 13 Anderson (1-0, 0-0 SAC) which posted an 86-65 victory over Georgia College in the second game of the day. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. at the Abney Athletic Center in Anderson, South Carolina. Full coverage through live stats and live video are available on www.ClaytonStateSports.com.
 
NOTES
Wilson's six steals tie the mark she set against Tusculum on November 15, 2018 at The Loch.