MORROW, Ga. --- The 18th-ranked Clayton State women's basketball team picked up its fifth-straight win on Wednesday, defeating Lander 64-45 in Peach Belt Conference action at the Athletics & Fitness Center.
In a tightly fought first half, the Lakers broke away from the Bearcats with a 20-3 run over an eight-minute stretch. Lander led 15-13 on a jumper by Jennifer Hukill, two of her game-high 21 points.
Clayton State answered though, reeling off 16 unanswered points in a six-minute stretch. Crystal Brown capped the run, hitting two free throws to give the club a 29-15 lead with 5:08 left. Shelcey Harp later gave the Lakers a 15-point advantage, 33-18, on a jumper with 4:15 remaining.
Two free throws by Shatora Irby in the final seconds of the period cut the Laker lead to 38-25 at intermission.
The Lakers started the second half cold, missing their first seven shots before junior Basia Bukowska and senior Carlie Anderson went on a 3-point shooting barrage to open up the game. Bukowska connected on three shots from downtown and Carlie added one from beyond the arc as the Lakers took a 50-32 lead with 11:35 remaining.
The Laker lead grew to a game high 24 points on a jumper by senior Cynthia Conseil at the 4:56 mark, 60-36, as the Bearcats were held to only two shot attempts over a five-minute stretch.
Leading the Lakers in scoring and rebounding was junior Crystal Brown who finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Bukowska had 11 points and six assists off the bench. Seniors Shelcey Harp and Jasmine Patterson each added eight points and Harp had eight boards.
Behind Hukill's 21 points, fellow sophomore Irby contributed 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
The Lakers shot 34 percent (27-80) versus the Bearcats 37 percent (17-46). Clayton State outrebounded Lander 49-35 and committed only 13 turnovers on the game to the Bearcats 28.
With the win, the Lakers improve to 16-3 overall and 9-2 in the conference, which is second in the league. Lander drops to 4-14 on the year and 0-11 on the year. Up next, the Lakers will travel to USC Upstate on Saturday, while Lander will host Columbus State.
