NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Clayton State 75 – Columbus State 67
Records: Lakers (2-1, 2-1 PBC) – Cougars (1-1, 1-1 PBC)
Series History: Columbus State leads 32-25
 
COLUMBUS, Ga. – Traveling just over 100 miles, the Clayton State women's basketball team picked up its second win of the season after defeating Columbus State, 75-67, in Wednesday's Peach Belt Conference showdown.  
 
Columbus State (1-1, 1-1 PBC) scored the game's first points and opened a 17-8 lead with 2:45 left in the first quarter. After a Clayton State (2-1, 2-1 PBC) timeout, the Lakers fought back and only trailed 19-17 after the opening 10 minutes.
 
The Cougars continued to lead for the first 9:09 of the second quarter before Audrey McElhaney scored with 51 seconds left in half to give Clayton State a 31-30 lead. After a missed Columbus State shot, Timi'a Swanson drove the court and added two points with a nifty spin move with eight seconds left to cap a 6-0 run for the Lakers.
 
McElhaney and Swanson each had strong nights in the win. McElhaney led all scorers with 25 points and added nine rebounds, two assists and one steal while Swanson had 21 points, 11 rebounds and one steal.
 
The Lakers opened the second half with four points in the first minute to extend its lead to seven, but the Cougars responded and tied the game at 40-40 before taking a 46-45 lead with 3:18 left in the third.
 
Both teams traded the lead, but Clayton State used an 12-6 run to hold a seven-point lead heading into the final quarter.
 
A Praise Russell 3-pointer to open the fourth and strong defense helped Clayton State lead by 12 with 5:13 remaining in the game, but a Columbus State run and cold shooting by the Lakers made it a three-point game with 1:08 to play.
 
With little time to play, the Cougars had to foul to have a chance. Clayton State went 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute to close out the win.  

COMING UP:
- The Lakers return home to face USC Aiken on Saturday, January 16 and Georgia Southwestern on January 20th.
- Clayton State then travels to Augusta University (Jan. 23) and Young Harris (Jan. 27).

TURNING POINT:
- Clayton State used a 6-0 run to take a three-point lead with eight seconds left before halftime.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Audrey McElhaney scored 25 points and had nine rebounds.
- Timi'a Swanson added 21 points and 11 rebounds
- Three Columbus State players recorded double-doubles

NEWS AND NOTES:
- Neither team made a 3-pointer in the first half.
- Clayton State had 42 bench points and 46 points in the paint.
 
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