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Campus Review
April 1, 2013
Page 12
Season Comes to an End for Top-ranked
Lakers In Opening Round of Elite Eight
by Gid Rowell, Athletics
The No. 1 ranked Clayton State women's
basketball team's season came to an end
Tuesday at the NCAA Division II Elite
Eight, falling 81-68 to #24 Augustana in
San Antonio, TX on the campus of St.
Mary's University.
Augustana led 32-25 at halftime of the
game before exploding in the first seven
minutes of the second half to take control
of the game at Bill Greehey Arena. The
Vikings went on a 24-8 run to open the
period and took a 23-point lead, 56-33, on
a three-pointer by Ashley Johnson with
13:08 remaining in the game.
The Lakers made a furious comeback late
in the second half to cut it to single digits
but were unable overcome the early sec-
ond half deficit. The loss ends a historic
season for the Lakers, which entered the
game on a 32-game winning streak, the
best in school history.
Augustana’s height advantage gave the
Lakers trouble on the offensive end, as the
Lakers hit a season low 33 percent (25-of-
77) of shots from the floor. The Vikings
shot well from the field, hitting 53 percent
(28-of-53), the highest of any team
Clayton State has faced this year.
Augustana also made 59 percent (10-of-
17) from behind the 3-point arc en route
to the victory.
“I thought their height affected us today,”
said head coach Dennis Cox. “We were
able to get the ball to the rim but we were
unable to finish. They played really well
today, and beat us one thru five. Usually
when we force 32 turnovers and get 20
steals, we come out on the winning end. I
give Augustana a lot of credit and wish
them luck.”
The Lakers got 24 more shot attempts
from the field than the Vikings thanks to
the 32 turnovers and a 16-6 advantage in
offensive rebounds but were unable to
capitalize on the offensive end. The
Lakers were also hurt by poor free throw
shooting, making 12-of-25 from the char-
ity stripe.
Trailing by 24 points with 7:34 remaining,
Clayton State came storming back late in
the game with a 21-4 run to cut the deficit
to seven points. Guard Bena Hanyard led
the charge scoring nine straight points,
including two long-range three-pointers.
A free throw by Hanyard with 1:25
remaining cut the lead to 71-64, but the
Vikings drained 6-of-6 free throws down
the stretch to seal the victory.
Clayton State’s Drameka Griggs, who was
named to the Women's Basketball
Coaches Association (WBCA) All-
American team last night at the Elite
Eight banquet, led the Lakers with 22
points, followed by center Shacamra
Jackson with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Hanyard finished with 16 points and eight
steals and was pivotal in Clayton State's
late comeback attempt.
For Augustana, the Vikings had a bal-
anced attack with five players in double-
digits. Shaunteva Ashley led the way with
17 points, followed by Faith Tinklenberg
with 15 points. Alex Feeney added 14
points. Emily Schulte scored 11 and Cami
Koehn chipped in 10 points.
The 2012-13 season marked the ninth
straight season that the Lakers have
advanced to the NCAA Division II tour-
nament, having won the regional on four
different occasions in 2007, 2009, 2011
and 2013. Clayton State won the 2010-11
NCAA Division II Women’s National
Championship.
The Clayton State women’s basketball
program is 96-6 (.950) over the last three
years, the top winning percentage of any
program at the NCAA Division II level.