SENIORS KEY LADY PACERS' COMEBACK IN OT THRILLER
USC AIKEN WINS SEVENTH-STRAIGHT AT HOME 72-61 OVER CLAYTON STATE
AIKEN, S.C.--USC Aiken (19-7, 12-7 PBC) rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to force overtime and then proceeded to score the first 12 points of the extra frame to pull off the 72-61 comeback win over Clayton State (17-9, 12-7 PBC) in women’s Peach Belt Conference basketball on “Senior Night” at the Convocation Center. It was the seventh-straight home win for the Lady Pacers. (PHOTO BY: Ginny Southworth)
Coupled with Columbus State’s win over Augusta State and Armstrong Atlantic’s upset of #23 Francis Marion, USC Aiken pulls into a five-way tie for second place, trailing only the Patriots by one game. A win on Sunday at GCSU paired with a Clayton State win at Francis Marion would give the Lady Pacers a share of their first PBC Championship since 2001-02.
The first half was one to forget for USC Aiken as the Lady Pacers struggled to a season-worst 17 points in trailing 29-17 at the break. Senior Avonte Williams kept her team in it in the opening stanza, connecting on 4-of-5 from the field for nine points. The rest of the Lady Pacers were 3-of-19 for 15.8 percent and scored just eight points.
USC Aiken was playing shorthanded without starting forward Morgan Johnson.
Trailing 9-6 midway through the first half, Shantel Ragin ended a four-minute field goal drought for the Lady Lakers, fueling a 20-4 run with 10 points of her own as Clayton State doubled up USC Aiken 26-13 with 1:59 left.
Megan Starnes knocked down a three-pointer with 1:15 on the clock to represent the first points by someone other than Williams in nearly nine minutes, but Clayton State still led by double figures at the break.
After 29.2 percent shooting and 16 turnovers, the Lady Pacers came out blazing in the second half. USC Aiken turned the ball over just four times over the final 25 minutes, shooting 51.7 percent in the second half and 7-of-8 in the overtime period.
Connecting on their first six shots, Williams’ lay-up with 14:42 to play cut the deficit to 38-31. Williams finished with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting to go with nine rebounds.
Every time USC Aiken made a crucial shot, however, Clayton State had the answer--usually in the form of a three-
Following a flurry of missed shots, Jordon Thomas converted a bucket in the paint with 12:01 remaining to start a 18-7 run culminating in the Lady Pacers first lead in over 26 minutes. Meredith Legg slashed to the basket and converted a tough off-balance lay-up to make it 49-48 with 4:00 on the clock.
Legg had 10 of her 23 second-half points during the run. With just one point in the first half, the junior guard finished 5-of-13 from long range for 24 points and seven rebounds in 40 minutes of action, her ninth 20-point game this season.
Less than 20 seconds later, Ragin again answered with a three to seesaw the Lady Lakers back in front 51-49. Ragin led Clayton State with 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting while Jennings added 15 off the bench.
Legg’s triple with 1:46 on the clock tipped the advantage back to USC Aiken at 53-52 before Marie St. Fort drained a trey 10 second later.
Williams weaved through the Clayton State defense for the Lady Pacers to knot the game at 55-55 with 1:07 to play as each team missed on their chance for a game winner in regulation.
In the overtime period, Thomas scored on the opening tap as Williams and Legg added three-point plays and USC Aiken bolted to a 63-55 lead just 58 seconds in. LaToshia Broadwater and Thomas tacked on lay-ups as the opening run reached 12-0 with 2:41 on the clock.
Thomas finished with seven points, eight rebounds, and five assists in her final regular season home game. Broadwater finished at home in style, scoring a career-high eight points on 4-of-4 from the field.
Winners of nine of their last 11, USC Aiken has now beaten the first, second, third, and fifth ranked teams in the NCAA regional poll, all in the last three weeks. Despite all that, the Lady Pacers remain 10th in the region.
USC Aiken is now 2-0 in overtime games this year after being just 1-16 over the past 12 seasons. The game also marked the first ever overtime contest at the Convocation Center.
The Lady Pacers have now won 15 of their last 18 home conference games while sweeping Clayton State for the first time in history.
USC Aiken will travel to Milledgeville, Ga. on Sunday, March 2 to take on Georgia College & State at 2:00 PM. Clayton State will play at #23 Francis Marion on Saturday, March 1 at 2:00 PM.
Newspaper Box Score
Clayton State vs USC Aiken
02/27/08 5:30 PM at Aiken, S.C. (Convocation Center)
USC AIKEN 72, CLAYTON STATE 61
CLAYTON STATE (17-9, 12-7 PBC)
Ragin, Shantel 10-20 2-6 24; Jennings, Dominique 4-9 4-6 15; St. Fort, Marie 3-9 0-0 8; Phillips, Roberta 2-5 1-2 6; Hardeman, Shanrika 2-4 0-0 5; Jackson, Lisa 1-2 0-0 2; Larry, Kimberly 0-0 1-2 1; Whitlock, Arlanderia 0-2 0-0 0; Yates, Tierra 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-52 8-16 61.
USC AIKEN (19-7, 12-7 PBC)
Legg, Meredith 9-19 1-2 24; Williams, Avonte 9-12 2-6 21; Broadwater, LaToshia 4-4 0-0 8; Thomas, Jordon 3-9 1-2 7; Starnes, Megan 1-8 2-4 5; Leppanen, Satu 2-4 0-0 4; Pinkney, Nakia 1-3 0-0 3; Crapps, Cameron 0-0 0-0 0; Harris, Triahna 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 29-61 6-14 72.
Clayton State................. 29 26 6 - 61
USC Aiken..................... 17 38 17 - 72
3-point goals--Clayton State 9-24 (Jennings, Dominique 3-8; Ragin, Shantel 2-3; St. Fort, Marie 2-6; Phillips, Roberta 1-3; Hardeman, Shanrika 1-1; Whitlock, Arlanderia 0-1; Yates, Tierra 0-1; Jackson, Lisa 0-1), USC Aiken 8-24 (Legg, Meredith 5-13; Pinkney, Nakia 1-2; Williams, Avonte 1-1; Starnes, Megan 1-3; Harris, Triahna 0-1; Thomas, Jordon 0-4). Fouled out--Clayton State-None, USC Aiken-None. Rebounds--Clayton State 32 (Hardeman, Shanrika 7; Ragin, Shantel 7; St. Fort, Marie 7), USC Aiken 39 (Williams, Avonte 9). Assists--Clayton State 11 (Jackson, Lisa 3), USC Aiken 21 (Starnes, Megan 6). Total fouls--Clayton State 14, USC Aiken 17. Technical fouls--Clayton State-None, USC Aiken-None. A-1245
BOXSCORE