AMERICUS, Ga. -- The Georgia Southwestern State University women's basketball team used a second half run and strong defense to gain a rare 58-52 win over Clayton State in front of 476 at the Storm Dome Wednesday.

It was just the second time in the Lady Canes NCAA Division II era they have recorded a victory against the Lakers, the first coming in a 71-59 win at the Storm Dome on January 27, 2016.

Amanda Melosky grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds to go along with eight points to lead GSW. Tyisha Moore scored eight points to go along with seven boards while Kris Beckham added seven points and two steals in her first start of the season. Tamecia Blue scored 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor.

Aleisha Merriweather scored 13 points and brought down eight rebounds to lead the Lakers.

GSW improves to 6-10 overall and 3-9 in Peach Belt Conference play with their second straight victory.

How It Happened: Both teams struggled shooting the ball in the first quarter as GSW went 4-of-13 and Clayton State could only manage 5-of-17 from the floor. After the Lakers took a 10-4 lead on a Shaquoria Miles layup with 5:21 to go the Lady Canes closed the quarter on a 7-2 run to make it a one-point (12-11) game after the first 10 minutes.

The Lady Canes run grew to 11-2 and a 15-12 lead before a layup from the Lakers finally ended it. GSW shot 7-of-11 from the floor (63.6 percent) in the second quarter to take the lead into the break. Amanda Melosky, Tamecia Blue and Mariya Trimble each went 2-of-2 in the quarter to make it a 29-24 game after the first half.

Clayton State started the third quarter hot, knotting up the score at 31 before GSW scored 10 of the next 16 points to take a 41-37 lead at the 3:50 mark. Neither team could score the rest of the quarter as the Lady Canes took the four-point lead to the final frame.

The GSW defense locked down the Lakers through the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter, going on a 14-6 run to take a 12-point lead. That lead would prove to be too much for Clayton State to recover from down the stretch as the Lady Canes held on for the 58-52 win.    

The defensive effort from the Lady Canes held Clayton State to just 28.8 percent shooting (19-of-66) on the night. GSW outrebounded the Lakers by a 54-45 margin and had a 28-13 advantage in points off the bench. 

Who Stood Out: Tamecia Blue tallied a team-high 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with three rebounds and two steals after missing the victory at Augusta on Saturday. Mariya Trimble saw her most extensive action after being limited with nagging injuries and an illness recently, scoring seven points and bringing down seven boards in 22 minutes.  

Up Next: The Lady Canes see their final Peach Belt opponent for the first time when North Georgia visits the Storm Dome Saturday. Tip against the Nighthawks is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.