ATLANTA – The Clayton State University women's basketball team travelled to McCamish Pavilion to take on the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech in an exhibition game to kick off their 2022-23 season. The Lakers put the fight to Georgia Tech but ultimately fell, 69-62.  
 
Raven Riley kicked off the scoring in the early going in the first quarter as she drained a three in the corner.  The Yellow Jackets led, 4-3.   The Lakers played Georgia Tech tough into the mid-way point of the quarter.  Taniya Patrick and Aubrey McElhaney both made field goals as the two teams played to 8-7, Yellow Jacket led with 4:30 left in the quarter.
 
Patrick led the Lakers with four points as they trailed 23-13 at the end of the first quarter.  The Lakers outrebounded the Yellow Jackets, 9-5. 
 
Jadah Waite's three kickstarted the scoring for the Lakers in the second quarter as they cut the Yellow Jackets' lead to 24-16. Midway through the quarter, with Georgia Tech up 27-16, Hannah Wright drained a three-pointer and cut the lead to 27-19.  The Yellow Jackets then came back down the floor and shot up another three and the lead went back to 11 at 30-19. With four minutes left in the quarter, a layup by Laylah Davis and a jumper by Dana Johnson sliced the Laker deficit to seven at 30-23. 
 
The Lakers were outscored 7-3 in the final minutes of the half as they trailed the Yellow Jackets 37-26 at the half.  Davis led the Lakers with five points while Patrick followed with four. 
 
Halftime: Georgia Tech: 37, Clayton State 26
 
The Lakers caught fire early in the third quarter as they started on a 6-0 run.  Patrick, Riley, and Davis all made buckets during that run, but Georgia Tech led 39-32.  At the score 41-35, the Lakers cut the Yellow Jackets' advantage to four after Davis made a pair of field goals and McElhaney notched a layup which made the score 43-39.  The Yellow Jackets stalled the Laker momentum and went on a 7-3 run and made the score, 49-41.
 
Diamond Swift's three-pointer with 2:26 left in the quarter proved to be the final field goal of the quarter as the Lakers were behind, 53-44. 
 
The Lakers started the final stanza on an 8-0 run as they cut the Yellow Jackets' lead to 53-52. McElhaney, Jada Moss, and Burts all hit shots on that run.  The Lakers kept pressuring the Yellow Jackets as they cut it to one at 55-54 but Georgia Tech then took control of the game. Midway through the quarter, Georgia Tech went 12-2 run and made the score, 65-56.  Patrick broke up that run with a layup with 1:30 left and made the score, 65-58.
 
Patrick and McElhaney all hit baskets down the stretch, but the Yellow Jackets won the game, 69-62.   
 
GAME VITALS
Final: Georgia Tech 69, Clayton State 62
Location: McCamish Pavilion | Georgia Tech | Atlanta
 
QUICK HITS

• Davis all Lakers with 14 points and McElhaney followed with 12 points
• Patrick rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. 
• Patrick led all Lakers with seven boards.
• The Lakers forced 25 Georgia Tech turnovers

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Lakers open their 2022-23 regular season at the Region Challenge hosted by UVA Wise with games against Anderson on Friday, November 11^th and UVA Wise on Saturday, November 12^th.  Both games are set to tipoff at 4 p.m.