MORROW, Ga. -- No lead changes were needed during this evening's game inside The Loch as Clayton State ran away with a 78-63 Peach Belt Conference win over Georgia Southwestern women's basketball team.
GSW had a huge 31-point fourth quarter in hopes of coming back but due to their inability to score much in the first quarter, that run was halted. The Lady Canes went scoreless throughout the first seven minutes of the game. They were 0-14 from the field until Kayla Smith put the first points on the board for GSW.
How It Happened: CSU took control since the opening tip and never looked back. Their defense held GSW to six first quarter points, leaving them shooting 20 percent from the field. The Lakers were leading 17-6 going into the second quarter.
The Lakers opened the second quarter with a 4-0 run until both teams went on a drought. Up 21-6, both teams went scoreless for four minutes until a Jamesha Samuel got open and drained one, ending the drought but still behind 21-8. The Lakers stayed ahead and took an 18-point lead, 34-16, with 52 seconds left in the half. A jumpshot by Morgan Towells closed the first half as GSW was trailing, 34-18.
Clayton carried their momentum into the second half, getting a huge 25-point lead midway through the third quarter, 46-21, with 4:50 left in the third quarter. GSW (8-10, 5-7 PBC) managed to cut the lead to 20 points going into the final 10 minutes, 52-32.
A layup by Lex Chatman cut the lead down to 13 points with 4:16 left in the game but a three-pointer by Clayton quickly put the game back out of reach again. Another Lady Canes layup cut the lead down to 12 points as the Lakers felt as if GSW was making a comeback but Clayton prevented that from happening. They stopped GSW from scoring much to end the game, giving the Lady Canes their fourth consecutive lost.
GSW made a season-low two three-pointers tonight compared to Clayton, who made seven of their 15. Both teams had trouble from the free throw line, as GSW missed 10 while Clayton missed 14. GSW was 52.4 percent from the line while Clayton was 57.6 percent from the line. The Lakers also took both the rebound battle (56-52) and the assist battle (12-11). The Lady Canes ended up winning the points in the paint battle by two points, (34-32).
Who Stood Out: Trimble notched her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Samuel came off the bench with 12 points also along with two steals followed by Towells, who finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Clayton's (12-6, 8-4 PBC) Kelsie Towns went 3-from-5 from behind the arc, ending with a team-high 16 points and eight rebounds.
Up Next: GSW continues their road stint with a trip to Dahlonega, Ga., to play North Georgia on Saturday, Feb. 2 for a 1:30 p.m. tip off time.