NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Clayton State 85 – Young Harris 75
Records: Lakers (7-14, 2-9 PBC) – Mountain Lions (5-17, 2-11 PBC)
All-Time Series: Young Harris Leads 12-6
MORROW, Ga. –
Ricardo Saams Jr. scored 37 points to lead the Clayton State men's basketball team to an 85-75 win over Young Harris Saturday afternoon in a Peach Belt Conference matchup.
Coming off the bench, Saams Jr. played 36 minutes and was just three points from tying the program record for points in a game set by Clayton State Hall of Famer Robert Conley in 1999 against USC Aiken.
The fourth-year Laker went 14-of-18 from the field and added 12 rebounds in his second 30-point performance of the season.
The game was close for the 46 minutes as neither team led by more than six points.
Trailing 69-68 with 5:04 remaining, Clayton State used a 17-6 run to close the game to sweep the season series against Young Harris.
Saams Jr. had 10 points during the run.
Young Harris opened the game with a 3-pointer, but
Ricardo Lynch drained back-to-back threes to give the Lakers a 6-5 lead at the 18:30 mark. Young Harris would quickly pull ahead, but
Jalen Shaw made it an 8-7 game with a thunderous dunk off a
Brian Coffey II missed shot.
The two teams continued to trade the lead before Young Harris pulled ahead 40-34 at the 3:45 mark. A dunk by Shaw and a jumper by
Xavier Joyner cut the deficit to two, but the Mountain Lions would hold the advantage to lead by one at halftime.
Shaw added 16 points and 11 rebounds while Lynch had 12 points and three assists.
Up Next:
- Clayton State returns home on Monday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against USC Aiken.
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