FLORENCE, S.C. – Senior guard Taneria Wilson (Fort Pierce, Fla.) delivered not only the best game of her career but one of the best in program history as Clayton State (9-6, 5-2 PBC) fell at Francis Marion (6-7, 2-5 PBC) 81-76 in overtime in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Saturday, January 18.
 
Wilson exploded for 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting to come within one point of tying the program record of 35 points while playing 44 minutes. She didn't miss on the steals mark, however, as she came away with a team record tying 10 thefts to equal the mark of Misty Amerson set at then Division II USC Upstate on February 13, 1999. She also added five rebounds and four assists in a stellar performance.
 
Senior forward Kelsie Towns (Butler, Ga.) added 14 points and six caroms in 42 minutes while redshirt-senior guard Christal Williams (Riverdale, Ga.) drained a pair of threes on her way to eight points. Junior forward Jada Francois Lubin (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) finished with five points, four steals and three rebounds and junior forward Timi'a Swanson (Americus, Ga.) added five points, three assists, two steals and a pair of boards.
 
Wilson would get things started right away as she scored the first five points, seven overall, as Clayton State raced out to a 12-6 lead by the 4:30 mark. FMU would quell that opening run over the final minutes of the quarter, however, as they scored the final six points to deadlock at 12-12.
 
Just as she had to start the game, Wilson drained a triple to begin the second quarter but this time produced her own 7-0 run to retake the lead at 19-12 with just 2:36 gone by in the frame. From there her teammates would take over as Francois Lubin added a bucket and Towns and redshirt-junior guard Praise Russell (Jacksonville, Fla.) connected on three-pointers to stretch to a 29-18 advantage behind an overall run of 17-6 that capped at the 3:05 mark.
 
The Patriots would get off the deck in those final three minutes, however, as they cut it to a seven point deficit,     31-24, before a late bucket made it a nine point spread at the break. In the opening 20 minutes, Wilson put up an impressive 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
 
She would continue her strong play with five points in the opening minutes of the second half to extend to a 40-27 lead by the 8:22 mark. Once again having weathered the storm, Francis Marion responded with a 9-0 burst to draw to within 40-36 just under a minute and a half later.
 
That trend would continue as the Patriots tied it up at 41-41 with 3:41 on the clock before the Lakers took a two point lead only to be deadlocked again just over a minute later. The clubs would repeat that pattern once more and Clayton State would find themselves up 47-45 at the 1:17 mark.
 
From there things would change dramatically as Macy Passmore knocked down a triple to spark a 7-0 run that brought them all the way back with a 52-47 lead at the quarter break.
 
That lead would not last long as Christal Williams and junior forward Timi'a Swanson (Americus, Ga.) buried three-pointers to regain the lead, 53-52, less than two minutes into the fourth. In what quickly turned into a back-and-forth affair, the Patriots Zaria Woods delivered a traditional three-point play to flip the script and make it 55-53 FMU with 7:53 remaining.
 
A drive by Wilson would tie it but Passmore drained another long ball on the very next possession for a three point advantage. It would be a game of "anything you can do I do better" as she was matched at the other end, once again by Wilson, as she nailed a game-tying triple to make it 58-58 with six minutes left.
 
The teams would then trade layups to knot it up again before FMU connected on back-to-back drives for a 64-60 lead with 3:14 left. With the score at 66-62 and little more than a minute to play, Towns would get the put back on a long three-point attempt to cut it in half and then force a miss from deep at the other end.
 
The Patriots would haul in the rebound and promptly turn it over but the Lakers could not capitalize as they were called for a carry of their own to give it back. With less than 30 seconds to play and only one team foul in the quarter, they would commit four straight fouls to send Francis Marion's Kiana Adderton to the line in an effort to extend the game.
 
As she hit just 1-of-2, extend is exactly what they would do. Following a timeout, Towns drained a three to tie it at 67-67 and the Lakers fended off FMU for the final 17 seconds to force overtime.
 
That extra session would see Adderton knock down a jumper in the paint to give the Patriots an early lead but Christal Williams drained a three and a pair of free throws for a 72-69 lead with 3:41 to play. Three straight baskets over the next minute and a half then put FMU back up, this time 75-72.
 
The Lakers would not go away as Wilson went 4-of-4 from the foul line down the stretch to get to within 77-76 with 1:16 on the clock but Francis Marion would answer back. That would come in the form of another jumper by Adderton, a block at the other end and another defensive stand before a pair of free throws by Scarlett Gilmore sealed the 81-76 victory.
 
Adderton led the Patriots with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting and hauled in 13 rebounds to with three assists and a pair of steals while Woods joined her with 17 points and 13 boards. Gilmore finished with 12 points and Camryn Johnson and Passmore each chipped in with nine.
 
The Lakers conclude their three game road trip with a critical Martin Luther King, Jr. Day matinee at league leading Lander. Game time is set for a special 1:30 p.m. tip-off in Greenwood, South Carolina.
 
NOTES
Wilson came within one point of equaling the program record of 35 points set by Trina Patterson against Columbus State on March 2005 … the 34 points is the most she has ever had at the collegiate level and easily surpasses her previous best of 26 set at No. 3 Carson-Newman on November 20, 2018.