NEED TO KNOW:
Score: North Georgia 92 – Clayton State 82
Records: Lakers (7-3, 7-3 PBC) – Night Hawks (11-1, 8-1 PBC)
Series History: Clayton State leads 26-21
 
MORROW, Ga. – The Clayton State women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker in The Loch on Wednesday, falling 92-82 in overtime to Peach Belt Conference rival No. 12/16 North Georgia.
 
The Night Hawks (11-1, 8-1 PBC) entered Wednesday's matchup on a six-game winning streak which put them 12th in the Division II media poll and 16th in the coaches poll.
 
Clayton State (7-3, 7-3 PBC) scored the game's first basket off a Jada Francois Lubin 3-pointer and battled UNG through the first 5:46 of the opening quarter.
 
Trailing 10-9, the Night Hawks used a 13-0 run to pull ahead 22-10 with just under two minutes to play in the first. Praise Russell would hit one of her four 3-pointers to end the run and added a jumper with 27 seconds on the clock to cut the deficit to seven.
 
The second quarter was a high scoring affair which saw Clayton State outscore UNG 25-20. The Lakers clawed their way back to the lead with baskets by Kerry Watson and Audrey McElhaney. Both teams would trade the lead in the final minute as UNG led 44-40 at halftime.
 
McElhaney continued her stellar play on Wednesday, scoring 23 points, grabbing five boards and coming away with five steals. It's the third time this season the junior has scored 20 or more points and the ninth double-digit scoring effort. The Tifton, Ga. native is averaging 16.3 points per game, ranking fifth in the conference.
 
UNG would hold the lead for the first seven minutes of the third quarter until a pair of Francois Lubin free throws put Clayton State up 56-55 with 2:50 on the clock. The Night Hawks quickly regained the lead and led 63-57 after three quarters.
 
With 3:51 left in the game, UNG led 73-66 and seemed to have an answer for every Laker attempt to gain control. McElhaney would then score six of the final eight Clayton State points including a layup with four seconds left to tie the game 74-74, extending the game into overtime.
 
Both teams traded 3-pointers to start overtime, but UNG outscored the Lakers 18-8 to escape Morrow with the win.
 
Russell finished with a career-high 16 points and went 6-for-8 from the field. Francois Lubin scored 12 points, had five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.
 
Timi'a Swanson added 12 points and eight rebounds.


COMING UP:
- Saturday's games against Columbus State has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.
- The Lakers are scheduled to play at Georgia Southwestern on February 17 and Georgia College on February 20.

TURNING POINT:
- UNG outscored Clayton State 18-8 in overtime.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- North Georgia had a pair of players score over 20 points with a third adding 19.

NEWS AND NOTES:
- UNG hit 77% of its free throws while Clayton State hit just 57%.

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