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Campus Review
January 31, 2014
Clayton State Women Down Lander 87-75
by Gid Rowell
Shedrick Shot in Final Seconds
Lifts Lakers to 55-52 Win Over Lander
Behind a career high 26 points from Laker
guard Tiayra Green, the Clayton State
women’s basketball team won its fifth
straight game on Saturday defeating
Lander 87-75 at the Athletics Center.
Clayton State led by double-digits for
most of the second half but did have to
hold off a late Lander rally in the victory.
After leading by as many as 20 points
with less than 12 minutes remaining, the
Bearcats cut the deficit to six points, 76-
70, with 3:05 left in the contest.
The Lakers answered though with six
unanswered points in under a minute to
regain control of the game. Forward
Shamcara Jackson, Green and guard Bena
Hanyard had points during the mini-run.
Two free throws by Hanyard gave the
Lakers an 82-70 lead with 2:21 remaining.
Lander made one final more push and cut
it to nine, 82-73, on a 3-point play by
guard Ty’hesa Reynolds but would come
no closer. The Lakers rattled off five
straight points to seal the victory.
“A good win against a good opponent,”
said head coach Dennis Cox. “We knew
Lander wouldn’t go away, and as always,
it was a battle until the end. Give Coach
(Kevin) Pederson and their kids credit as
they played hard. I was sorry to see the
injury toward the end of the game, but I
was happy to hear that she is going to be
okay and wasn’t seriously hurt. I’m proud
of our kids for hanging in there.”
The game was delayed for approximately
25 minutes late in the second half as
Bearcat guard Kayla West suffered a head
injury after players from both sides got
tangled up on a rebound in the paint. She
was transported to a local hospital by
ambulance.
With the win, Clayton State improves to
13-5 overall and 8-3 in Peach Belt
Conference play, while Lander drops to 8-
12 and 3-8 in the league.
Green provided the Laker offensive spark
in the first half, scoring 19 of her 26
points. The game went back and forth in
the first 14 minutes until Clayton State
had a couple of runs. The Lakers took a
12-point advantage, 38-26, on a basket by
Green with 4:25 until intermission.
After Lander came back to cut the deficit
to four points, 38-34, with 1:36 left, the
Lakers closed the half with six straight
points to take a 44-34 lead at halftime.
Forward Kiana Morton, Hanyard and for-
ward Briah Woods all had baskets in the
stretch.
Green’s 26 points, came on 11-of-19
shooting and included a trio of 3-pointers.
She also added three steals in the game.
Jackson had another strong game, pouring
in 21 points, hitting 9-of-12 from the
floor. She also had six blocks and five
rebounds.
Benford scored 13 points and pulled 11
boards, followed by Morton with 11
points. Hanyard added 10 points for the
squad.
A three-pointer by Laker forward Charles
Shedrick along the baseline with 3.6 sec-
onds remaining Saturday lifted Clayton
State to a 55-52 win over Lander, the
hottest team in the Peach Belt Conference.
Shedrick's shot was set-up on a driving
play by guard Sirdarius Henry who then
slid a pass along the baseline for the
game-winning jumper at the Athletics
Center. The play came after Bearcat guard
Michael Panaggio drained a 3-pointer
from the top of the key with 34 seconds
remaining to knot the game at 52 apiece.
"We guarded Lander well tonight, and we
had too because they came in as the
hottest team in the Peach Belt," said head
coach Paul Harrison. "If we continue to
guard, we will have the opportunity to be
in every game. That's the key. It was a
great team win against a good team."
The Bearcats entered the game on a six-
game winning streak and had won nine of
their last 10 games. The win improves
Clayton State to 7-11 on the year and 3-8
in the league, while Lander drops to 13-7
and 7-4 in conference play. Clayton State
will return to action on Wednesday, host-
ing GRU Augusta in a 7:30 p.m. contest.
The contest was tight throughout with 14
lead changes and the game tied on nine
occasions. Clayton State's largest lead was
seven points, coming in the second half on
a steal and fast-break dunk by forward
Omari Murray with 7:55 remaining.
Lander's largest lead of the game was four
points.
Clayton State closed the half with a basket
by Shedrick, followed by a free throw
from forward Jamil McKee to take a 21-
20 lead at intermission.
Murray led a balanced attack for the
Lakers with 15 points, hitting 6-of-9 from
the floor. He also finished with a team-
high nine rebounds. Shedrick had 12
points, followed guard Corbyn Moye with
11 points. Guard Kelsey Terry added 10
points for the team.