Laker women make it six straight with 72-62 victory over Francis Marion
Phillips scores 15 points as 17th-ranked Clayton State improves to 12-1 and 2-0 in PBC

MORROW, Ga. --- JANUARY 6, 2007 --- When you have as high a ranking and stature in your conference like the Clayton State Laker women’s basketball team, you can expect a maximum effort each game from your opponent – regardless of the record.

 

That was the case on Saturday afternoon as Clayton State out-lasted pesky Francis Marion 72-62 in Peach Belt Conference action at the Athletics and Fitness Center. The victory was the sixth straight for 17th-ranked Clayton State, which is now 12-1 overall and 2-0 in the Peach Belt.

 

“We know we’ll get the best effort from our opposition, but I’m glad we got that kind of effort from our players,” said Clayton State head coach Dennis Cox. “All game long, they (Francis Marion) worked hard, so we had to return the energy.”

 

The Lakers won despite shooting only 31 percent from the field. However, Clayton State forced 24 Patriot turnovers and committed only 10 turnovers itself.

 

Clayton State overcame an early 6-5 deficit, using an 11-1 run to lead 16-7 with 13:45 remaining on a Basia Bukowska 3-point basket. Three times, the Lakers extended the lead to 10 points, including 40-30 at halftime on Roberta Phillips’ 3-point basket with 56 seconds remaining.

The margin grew to 12 points, 43-31 early in the second stanza, and with 11 minutes left, the Lakers led 51-42. However, freshman guard Chelsea Quinlan then sparked a 9-0 run by Francis Marion that knotted the score at 51-51 with 8:51 remaining. Her three-pointer concluded the spurt and tied the score.

Clayton State then scored the next six points to regain a lead they would not relinquish.  A lay-up by Katherine Kiefer drew the Patriots to within 67-62 with 58 ticks left, but following a Laker miss at the free throw stripe, Quinlan missed a three-pointer that would have cut the margin to two points.  Clayton State made 3-of-4 free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.

 

Phillips had the big game for Clayton State, scoring 15 points on four 3-point baskets, while Shantel Ragin and Sharon Wiles both scored 12 points for the Lakers. For Francis Marion (3-10, 0-2), Shonelle Downer scored 17 points off the bench, and point guard Brittany Young dished out a whopping 13 assists.

 

Clayton State plays host to in-state rival Armstrong Atlantic in Peach Belt action on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Athletics and Fitness Center.


Clayton State women open Peach Belt Conference play with 97-59 rout at Georgia Southwestern
 Jackson scores 18, Humphrey scores 16 as 17th-ranked Clayton State improves to 11-1

AMERICUS, Ga. --- JANUARY 3, 2007 --- Last season, when the Clayton State Laker women’s basketball team played a Peach Belt Conference newcomer for the first time, it was defeated soundly by North Georgia.

 

Head coach Dennis Cox and the 17th-ranked Lakers were determined not to let that happen again on Wednesday at this season’s Peach Belt newcomer – Georgia Southwestern. It didn’t.

 

With four players scoring in double-figures and the pressure defense working effectively, Clayton State opened Peach Belt play in fine fashion with a 97-59 rout over Georgia Southwestern at the Storm Dome. The victory was the fifth straight for Clayton State, which improves to 11-1 and equals the best start to a season in program history.

 

“We were ready to play tonight, and it was great to start conference play off on the winning track,” said Clayton State head coach Dennis Cox. “We didn’t know much about them (Georgia Southwestern), so we went with the press and they weren’t too familiar with it.”

 

It was the press that dictated the game for the Lakers, and that was evident in the first half. Clinging to a 20-17 lead with 10 minutes remaining, Clayton State broke the game wide open with an insurmountable 23-0 run over the next seven minutes. The Lakers converted six Hurricane turnovers into points with their pressure defense.

 

Lynette Jackson started the scoring fury with consecutive lay-ups, followed by Alecia Humphrey converting two straight baskets in the paint. Marie St. Fort then drained a 3-point basket in transition, extending the Clayton State lead to 33-17 with 7:17 remaining.

 

The Lakers weren’t finished. Sharon Wiles and Kim Lloyd both converted Georgia Southwestern turnovers into easy baskets and Wiles driving lay-up in transition gave Clayton State a commanding 43-17 lead with 3:16 remaining.

 

“That’s the great thing about the press,” Cox said. “Once we got it turned up, that was as good as our press has looked this season. It was a feeding frenzy out there and we turned it up a notch during that spurt.”

 

Clayton State’s largest lead of the second half was 45 points, 96-51 on Basia Bukowska’s 3-point basket with 3:10 remaining in the game.

 

Jackson paced Clayton State with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field, while her post partner Humphrey scored 16 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the field. Wiles scored 14 points for the Lakers, while St. Fort and Roberta Phillips each added 10 points. For the game, Clayton State shot 56 percent from the field, and the Lakers’ pressure defense forced 33 Georgia Southwestern turnovers.

 

For Georgia Southwestern (2-6, 0-1), Krystal Thomas scored 15 points and Brittany Reynolds scored 11 points.

 

Clayton State is home on Saturday, playing host to Francis Marion at 2 p.m. at the Athletics and Fitness Center.