AASU DOWNS CLAYTON STATE 68-66 AT THE BUZZER
LACY WILLIS HITS GAME WINNER WITH 2.1 TO PLAY

AIKEN, S.C .-- Junior forward Lacy Willis had a career game, scoring 26 points, but none bigger than the game winning baseline jumper at the buzzer to give seventh-seeded Armstrong Atlantic State University a 68-66 upset win over second-seeded Clayton State University Thursday afternoon at the USC Aiken Convocation Center. (PHOTO BY: Scott Webster)

The Lady Pirates improve to 19-10 and advance to the semi-finals while Clayton State who had shared regular season championship falls to 18-10 and will await the NCAA regional selections on Sunday.

Accompanied by Willis’ 26 points was a double-double by Kaneetha Gordan with 18 points and 11 rebounds as she grabbed the all-time AASU scoring record with 1367 points. Holmes scored a dozen for the Lady Pirates with all 12 of her points coming from behind the arc in the first half.

Clayton State was paced by four Lakers in double-figures. Roberta led the way with 16 points, while Marie St. Fort chipped in 14. Shantel Ragin and Dominique Jennings each added 13 points in the last-second loss.

AASU started the game on a 14-0 run backed by six points apiece from Lindsey Holmes and Willis to open up the double-digit lead less than five minutes into the contest.

Clayton State followed with an 11-0 run of their own, but Holmes knocked down her third three-pointer of the game to put the Lady Pirates back on the board with a six-point lead at 17-11.

After a pair of buckets by the Lakers, Dartayvia Thomas knocked down a pair of free throws late in the half to give the Lady Pirates a 30-18 lead at the break.

The second half saw Armstrong Atlantic stake themselves to a game-high 16-point lead at 44-28 with 11:30 remaining in the quarter-final matchup, but Clayton State would not fold, battling down to the final minute where they trailed by five points with just 40-seconds left in regulation. A three-pointer by St. Fort pulled the Lakers to within a bucket at 66-64 and on the ensuing possession Ragin came up with a steal on the full-court press and set up Roberta Phillips for the game-tying layup with just 14-seconds remaining.

After a time out, Jasmine Herron pushed the ball up the floor through traffic and found Willis on the baseline for game-winning jump-shot as time expired, giving Armstrong Atlantic the first upset of the tournament with the 68-66 win over the second-seeded Lakers.

Game 5 – Clayton State vs. Armstrong Atlantic State – Quotes
 Clayton State head coach Dennis Cox
“The Peach Belt Conference Tournament is always competitive, but I think everyone knew it would be extremely competitive this year. I’ve always felt like the first game of a tournament is always the hardest one.”
 
“I’m disappointed we didn’t play better early. I’m pleased with our heart and staying in it. It was just a bad [day] to be shooting this coldly.”
 
Armstrong Atlantic head coach Rodger Hodge
“I’m very proud of our kids. We knew Clayton State was going to make a run, but we never folded and never lost our composure. Even right up until that last shot, we were able to do what we wanted to do.”
 
On last play:
“We knew they were going to come with some kind of pressure. All night long, on our dribble penetration they had helped aggressively. I told Jas to penetrate and kick as they helped. I don’t know how she got out of traffic, but she did, and Lacey made a great shot.”
 
Lacey Willis on game-winning shot
“I was pretty confident about it, I got a pretty good look. I don’t know how Jas got it to me, but I had a good feel all game.”
 
Kaneetha Gordon
“This win means a lot to us as a team with them beating us last year [in the tournament]. We were confident we could win, because we believe, we work hard and we knew the pressure was on us to finish strong.”
 
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