WINTER PARK, Fla. (November 27, 2009) -
Rollins led early, but hot-shooting Clayton State proved to be
too much as the Tars women's basketball team fell to the 13th
ranked Lakers 75-53 in the opening game of the 2009 Rollins
Thanksgiving Classic.
Kourtnie Berry led Rollins
(4-2) with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting (3-4, 3-pointers), while Brittainy Daiger chipped in
nine points and a team high five rebounds. Paris Moore tallied
eight points to go along with three assists and four steals.
Teshymia Tillman hit four of Clayton State's (2-0) 13, 3-pointers
and poured in 17 points to pace five Lakers in double figures.
Brittany Hall chipped in 14 off the bench while LaDe'Sha Stoudamire
added 12. Tanisha Woodward and Breanna Fort each netted 10 with
Woodward gathering a game-high eight rebounds.
Rollins was bruised up on the boards with Clayton State earning a
37-25 advantage on the glass. The Tars shot 39 percent (20-52) in
the game with the Lakers hitting 48 percent (28-58) on the
night.
The Tars were in control the first five minutes of the contest as a
Berry layup gave the hosts an 8-4 advantage. The Lakers then heated
up from the outside with Hall and Tillman draining four straight
3-pointers and Tillman adding a jumper to give Clayton State a 14-0
run over the next three minutes and put the Tars down 18-8.
Rollins chipped away at the deficit and after a Berry trey and
Daiger layup, retook the lead, 22-21 with 7:49 to play in the half.
The Lakers again found their stroke from long range and built their
advantage to as much as 14 before the teams headed into the break
with CSU leading the Tars 40-31.
The Tars hit the first two baskets of the second half and cut the
Lakers lead to five, but a quick 8-3 run by the visitors made the
score 48-38 with 15 minutes to play. Clayton State then outscored
the Tars 13-3 over the next eight minutes with another Tillman
3-pointer shutting the door on Rollins.
The Tars will look to bounce back on Saturday, November 28 in the
finale of the 2009 Rollins Thanksgiving Classic against Puerto Rico
Rio Piedras. Game time is slated for 4 p.m. from Warden Arena. Fans
can catch all the action live on the Tars Sports Network at
RollinsSports.com.
