SCORE

Clayton State 71, Montevallo 70

RECORDS

Montevallo (17-9 overall, 11-8 in Peach Belt Conference)

Clayton State (16-12 overall, 11-8 in Peach Belt Conference)

LOCATION

The Loch (Morrow, Georgia)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Montevallo saw its hopes of clinching a sixth consecutive Peach Belt Conference West Division championship outright come to an end following a 71-70 setback on the road at Clayton State in the final game of the regular season.

Clayton State took an early 15-11 lead following a jumper by Dantez Bennamon with 11:12 remaining in the opening half.

The Falcons opened up a 23-19 lead with 6:58 remaining in the half following a dunk by senior Talan Whitaker, which tied the mark for the largest lead in the game for Montevallo.

Montevallo carried a 33-31 lead into the locker room at halftime after the Lakers' Mike Scott drained a jumper with 28 seconds left in the opening half.

A layup by Kevin Kelly eight seconds into the second half pushed the Falcons' lead back to four points, but Clayton State quickly erased the deficit and took a 42-41 lead on a three-point play by Nathan Powell with 15:56 left in the game.

A layup by senior Javonte Douglas gave Montevallo a 51-47 lead with 11:43 remaining in the game.

After a layup by Alfonso Davis roughly 30 seconds later, the game remained a one-possession game until the final buzzer. The Falcons and the Lakers traded the lead five times in the final 10 minutes before a 3-pointer by Bennamon gave Clayton State the lead for good with 42 seconds remaining.

Douglas tied the contest at 69-69 with a jumper with 22 seconds left in the game, but the Falcons quickly fouled Kyle Kincey, who knocked down both free throws. Senior Tazz Marbury was fouled in the lane on the other end and made 1-of-2 attempts at the charity stripe with three seconds left.

Jaumonee Byrd secured the rebound before getting fouled and missing both free-throw attempts, but the Lakers grabbed the offensive board and ran out the clock.

STAT OF THE GAME

The Lakers' bench outscored their Montevallo counterparts 38-7 in the contest. 

UP NEXT

The Falcons are slotted as the No. 4 seed in the West Division entering the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. Montevallo will face Augusta University, the No. 1 seed in the East Division, in a quarterfinal contest Saturday, February 25 on the road in Augusta, Georgia. Tip off is set for 4 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Central.