ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC UPSETS CLAYTON STATE

Men’s Basketball: No. 25 AASU 63, No. 2 Clayton State 58
Women’s Basketball: No. 15 Clayton State 82, AASU 72

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Tory Harris’ career-high 27 points helped the No. 25-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State men’s basketball team usher an upset of No. 2-ranked Clayton State, 63-58, in Peach Belt Conference action on Wednesday evening in Savannah. The win represents the highest-ranked opponent that the Pirates have defeated in the Peach Belt era.

The Pirates (14-4, 5-2 PBC) and the Lakers (17-1, 6-1 PBC) played a tight defensive contest in the first half with AASU tying up the game at 24-all on Harris’ jumper right before intermission. AASU did not take its first lead of the second half until a three-pointer by Harris put the Pirates up, 35-33, with 14:03 left, and moments later a 10-0 run by the Pirates snapped a 35-all tie and gave AASU its largest lead of the game, 45-30, with 11:17 left.

Clayton State cut the lead to two, 50-48, with 2:53 left, but another Harris bucket put the Pirates back up by four, and AASU clinched the game in the final 70 seconds by hitting eight of eight free throws. Harris hit 10-of-14 shots from the floor for his 2 points, while Bryan Taylor added a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. John Beugnot and Todd McLaurin each added 12 points for the Pirates.

In the women’s contest, the No. 15-ranked Lady Lakers (16-2, 6-1 PBC) survived a scare from the Lady Pirates (10-8, 4-3 PBC) but fought through a poor-shooting second half for an 82-72 victory. Both teams shot better than 50 percent in a high-scoring first half that saw Clayton State take a 52-42 lead at the break, but the Lady Pirates tied the game at 64-all on a Kaneetha Gordon free throw with 9:01 remaining.

AASU went scoreless over the next three minutes, however, and the Lady Lakers pulled away for the win. Sharon Wiles led all scorers for the Lady Lakers with a season-high 24 points – 20 in the first half – while the Lady Pirates were led by Tana Griffiths’ 20 points and double-doubles from Kaneetha Gordon (16 points, 15 rebounds) and Lacey Willis (12 points, 11 rebounds).

AASU returns to action on Saturday, January 20, with a PBC doubleheader at Lander at 5:30 p.m. (women) and 7:30 p.m. (men).

Source: Armstrong Atlantic State University Sports Information