SCORE

Clayton State 73, Montevallo 57

RECORD

Montevallo (7-16 overall, 4-12 in Peach Belt Conference)

Clayton State (19-4 overall, 13-3 in Peach Belt Conference)

LOCATION

Trustmark Arena (Montevallo, Alabama)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Clayton State pulled away in the fourth period to defeat Montevallo 73-57 in a Peach Belt Conference contest at Trustmark Arena.

The Lakers opened the game with a 8-3 run, capped with a free throw by DaQuenna Moore with 7:47 remaining in the first period. Montevallo responded with a 13-5 run of its own and took a 11-8 advantage following a 3-pointer by senior Jaquelyn Thompson with 2:41 left in the opening period.

Clayton State closed the period with a 12-7 run and carried a 20-18 lead into the second period.

A jumper by Barrett with 5:02 remaining in the second period gave the Lakers a 28-22 advantage, which marked the largest lead in the first half for Clayton State.

The Falcons closed the half with a 12-4 run. A layup by junior Morgan Smith temporarily gave Montevallo a 34-30 lead before a jumper by the Lakers' Tweety Smith with 29 seconds remaining in the half trimmed the Falcons' lead to two points heading into the locker room at halftime.

Clayton State took the lead on a layup by Barrett with 7:05 remaining in the third period and extended its lead to as many as seven points in the period following a layup by Aniefok Udofia with 1:11 left, which gave the Lakers a 47-40 advantage. A layup by junior RayVon Christian with 19 seconds left in the third period helped the Falcons trim the deficit to 47-44 heading into the final period.

A layup by Thompson and a 3-pointer by Morgan to open the fourth period gave Montevallo a 49-47 lead with 8:28 remaining in the game. Clayton State responded with a 19-8 run over the next five minutes and took its first double-digit lead following a layup by Shay Upshaw with 3:12 left in the game as the Lakers pulled away down the stretch.

STAT OF THE GAME

The Lakers' aggressive defense helped Clayton State own a 16-4 edge in steals in the contest, which turned into a 33-7 advantage in points off turnovers.

BEYOND THE NUMBERS

Junior Morgan Smith tied her career high with five made 3-point field goals in the contest after shooting 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Sophomore Katija Tarailo tied her career high as she dished out three assists in the contest.

Senior Katherine Goldsby tied her career high with four assists against the Lakers.

UP NEXT

Montevallo will travel to Columbus, Georgia to take on Columbus State University in a Peach Belt Conference contest Wednesday, Feb. 16. The Cougars defeated the Falcons 71-56 in the first meeting between the two teams this season. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m. Eastern/4:30 p.m. Central.