Basic HTML Version
Page 15
Campus Review
January 28, 2013
Campus Review
January 28, 2013
Editor:
Lauren Graves
Writers:
Erin Fender
Ciji Fox
John Shiffert
Samantha Watson
Layout:
Lauren Graves
Photography: Erin Fender
Ciji Fox
Graphic Design: Lauren Graves
Fourth-Ranked Clayton State
Defeats Third-Ranked USC Aiken 56-50
by Gid Rowell, Athletic Department
Griggs Named Peach Belt Player of the Week for Third Time
It was a match-up between the third- and
fourth-ranked women’s teams in NCAA
Division II, and the game lived up it to all
the billing… and more.
The 4th-ranked Clayton State Lakers won
the battle between the two undefeated
teams from the Peach Belt Conference,
pulling out the victory in the final minutes
of a tight game at USC Aiken’s
Convocation Center.
With the game tied at 50 apiece and under
a minute to play, the Lakers scored six
straight points and held the Pacers score-
less on its last three possessions to pull
out the win.
Center Shacamra Jackson gave the Lakers
a two-point lead, 52-50, on a driving
layup, off a pass from guard Drameka
Griggs. After a USC Aiken miss, Clayton
State guard Kayla Pryce hit another driv-
ing shot in the paint off another assist by
Griggs to give the team a 4-point lead
with 25 seconds remaining.
A Clayton State foul on the ensuing pos-
session led to two misses at the free throw
line by the Pacers, but USC Aiken got the
rebound only to misfire from 3-point ter-
ritory. After a Pacer foul, Griggs drained
two free throws to seal the victory 56-50.
“The game lived up to all the hype,” said
head coach Dennis Cox. “It was a
matchup of two good teams, and two real-
ly good defensive clubs. We showed a lot
of toughness in a real physical game.
Aiken is a great team, and in a game like
that, it really is a shame that someone had
to lose. Both teams played their hearts
out.”
The Lakers defense, which ranks among
the nation’s best shined again, especially
in the second half. The Lakers held the
Pacers to 26 percent (14-of-54) from the
floor for the game, and only four baskets
in the second half (4-of-29). USC Aiken
kept the game close, hitting 16-of-24 free
throws in the period.
The game was tight throughout the second
half, as the lead changed hands six times
and was tied on six different occasions.
USC Aiken raced out to an 11-2 lead to
open the game only to have the Lakers
battle back. Clayton State took its first
lead, 18-16, on a layup in transition by
Griggs with 8:27 remaining in the first
period. The Lakers pushed its lead to six
points, but USC Aiken closed the half
with a 6-0 run to knot the score at 25 at
intermission.
Commenting on a second half injury (a
torn ACL and MCL) by USCAiken stand-
out forward Kayla Harris, Cox said,
For the third time this
season, Clayton State
women’s basketball
player Drameka “Me
Me” Griggs has been
named the Peach Belt
Conference’s Player
of the Week.
Griggs, a 5-5 guard,
from Ellenwood, Ga.,
received the honor from the Peach Belt
office in Augusta, Ga., after a week of
milestones. She led the 3rd-ranked and
undefeated Lakers (16-0; 9-0 PBC) to a
trio of wins, averaging 20.3 points and 6.3
rebounds, while scoring her 1,000th
career point and beating the then No. 3
team in the nation.
The senior began with a 20-point effort as
the Lakers downed previously unbeaten
and third-ranked USC Aiken on the road,
adding nine rebounds, five assists and
three steals. She then poured in a career-
high 32 points, three off the Clayton State
record, with seven rebounds in a win over
Francis Marion on Monday.
Griggs joined Clayton State's 1,000-point
club in the process and sits at 1,045 for
her career, 8th on the school's all-time list.
For the week, she added 3.7 assists and
3.7 steals per game. She is second in the
PBC in scoring, third in field goal per-
centage, second in steals and leads the
league in free throw percentage. She also
ranks among the NCAA Division II lead-
ers in all three categories.
Griggs was also named the Peach Belt
Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 4
and Jan. 7 of this season.
Griggs
Sports
Photo Credit: Kevin Liles | kdlphoto.com
Clayton State vs. Aiken, cont’d., p. 14