ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A career-high 25 points from redshirt-senior guard Christal Williams (Riverdale, Ga.) and late clutch performances led Clayton State (18-9, 14-5 PBC) to their ninth straight victory as they held off Flagler (6-19, 4-15 PBC) by a 75-71 score in an NCAA Division II women's basketball game on Wednesday, February 26.
 
Williams exploded for 25 points to lead all scorers, fueling that performance with a 10-of-11 outing at the foul line, and added six boards, three assists and a pair of steals while senior guard Taneria Wilson (Fort Pierce, Fla.) finished with 21 points and five steals.
 
Redshirt-junior forward Dejah Montgomery (Cordova, Tenn.) added eight points and six caroms and junior forward Jada Francois Lubin (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) had eight points and five rebounds. Junior forward Timi'a Swanson (Americus, Ga.) rounded out the top performers with seven boards and four points.
 
The teams would battle through three ties and be separated by no more than four points over the first five-plus minutes before finally deadlocking at 8-8. A three by redshirt-junior guard Praise Russell (Jacksonville, Fla.) then gave Clayton State back the advantage before the Saints tied once again, this time at 11-11 by the 3:37 mark.
 
A pair of free throws put the Lakers back up by two but an 8-0 run, fueled by four points apiece from Tori Pearce and Kierra Crane, would flip the script and make it 19-13 with just under a minute showing on the clock. Two more free throws by Clayton State would then make it a four point spread by the end of the opening quarter.
 
Three different scorers would ignite a 7-3 burst to start the second period that tied it up at 22-22 over the first two and a half minutes but the next minute and a half would belong to the Saints. In that span Pearce spearheaded a 10-0 run that put FC up 32-22.
 
Answering with five straight points to cut the deficit in half, the Lakers would find themselves down 36-27 behind a pair of quick layups by Flagler. The tide would turn once more as Christal Williams powered an 11-2 outburst with five points to draw even at 38-38 with nine seconds left in the half. A last second jumper by Rayven Wade then gave the Saints a two point advantage heading into the half.
 
Williams would spark Clayton State yet again, this time with four points as part of a 9-2 stretch to start the second half and retake the lead at 47-42 by the 4:28 mark. From there the teams would be fairly even as the Lakers took nine of the next 16 points to close the frame with a 54-51 margin.
 
Trailing 56-53 just over a minute into the fourth, FC would put home a pair of free throws and a jumper to pull back ahead at 57-56 but it would not last as the Lakers responded with back-to-back jumpers to take a 60-57 advantage by the 5:58 mark. Pearce would then knock down a triple and Monique Bryant nailed a jumper for a 62-60 lead little more than a minute later.
 
Three points from Clayton State would put them back up by one but Pearce would answer with a layup at the other end to put the Saints back ahead, 64-63 with three and a half minutes to play. As had been the case for much of the quarter, that lead would not last as Wilson drained a trey for a two point advantage with 2:56 to play.
 
At that point FC came back with three straight points to take back the lead and the teams would then battle through a tie and a lead change before ending up at 70-69 with 55 seconds on the clock. A pair of Wilson free throws, a Saints turnover and two hits from the charity stripe by Williams would extend the lead to five and essentially put the game out of reach before settling at the final margin of 75-71.
 
Wade erupted for 14 points, 17 boards and five assists to lead Flagler while Pearce finished with 17 points and N'Mya Pierce notched 14 points and five caroms. Bryant closed out the top performers with 10 points on the night.
 
The Lakers return home to close out the regular season with Senior Day as they host No. 13/17 North Georgia on Saturday, February 29. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. at The Loch.
 
NOTES
Williams surpassed her previous career-high of 21 points set against Georgia Southwestern on February 12 … the victory, combined with a loss by Columbus State (12-7) to GSW locks up the No. 3 seed for Clayton State … as such they are in line to host one of four teams, Young Harris, Francis Marion or USC Aiken, all of which are 9-10, or Augusta which sits at 8-11.