(Friday, March 11, 2005 )

NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball South Atlantic Regional Championship (Raleigh , North Carolina)

Clayton State Cruises Past Newberry and into Regional Semifinals  

            RALEIGH, NC – Clayton College & State University jumped out to a big first half lead and it proved to be too much for Newberry College, as the Lakers cruised to a 79-54 victory during the quarterfinals of the 2005 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball South Atlantic Regional Championship inside C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh, NC.

            Clayton State (25-6) received a game-high 19 points from Shelcey Harp, while Jamika Hindsman amassed 15 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and three assists in the win.

            Newberry (18-12) was topped by three freshmen, as Carnicha Bellinger and Ashlee Wright scored 10 points each (a season-high for Wright), while Tonique Frasier contributed nine points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists.

            Clayton State jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the contest, helped by a pair of three-pointers by Basia Bukowska.

            Two minutes later, Newberry went on a 10-3 tear to narrow the gap to 20-16 on a lay-up by Carnicha Bellinger at 10:42 .

            The Lakers responded with an 18-9 spurt to push their advantage back to double figures, 38-25, with 4:26 left before intermission. CCSU took a 42-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.

            Newberry made things interesting in the second half by scoring seven unanswered points to make the score 47-41 when Jonelle Yaklich made a pair of free throws at 14:20. Like in the first half, however, Clayton State had an answer. The Lakers posted a 7-1 run to increase the margin back to double digits (54-42 at 12:03 ), where it stayed the rest of the afternoon.

            “The key part of the game was when Newberry cut the lead down to six points,” said Clayton State head coach Dennis Cox. “We were struggling offensively. We got stagnant for whatever reason, so I came off the bench with Brandi (Catia) and Basia (Bukowska). They came right in and went to work.”

            Clayton State advances to the regional semifinals to play Carson-Newman (24-7) on Saturday at 6 p.m.

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Quotes from Game 2:  Newberry College vs. Clayton College & State University

Clayton State :

(Head Coach, Dennis Cox)

On the game overall:

RE:  I was pleased that we were able to get off to a good start. Sometimes you wonder about coming into a new setting and playing well, but we’ve played a lot of big games this year, and I really felt like we would be alright.  But I was really glad to see us get off to a good start.  I always worry a little bit when we’re up, especially as much as we were at the half because I know that we’re going to get a strong run at us in the second half.  The key part of the game was when they cut the lead down to six.  We were struggling offensively, we got stagnant for whatever reason, and I came off the bench with Brandi (Catia), and Basia (Bukowska).  They came right in and went to work, and they did a good job.  I felt like Brandi took over mid-way during the second half and they had a real difficult time guarding her.   

(Shelcey Harp, Junior Forward)

On the game overall:

RE:  I think we played very well today, we played together.  We kept things going on the defensive end, even when they weren’t going well on the offensive end.  We also knew that our shots would fall eventually, and it just went from there.

(Jamika Hindsman, Senior Guard)

On if the game was too easy:

RE:  I never look at anyone as if they are too easy, everyone is good now.  Right now, we’re playing good teams that know the game, and we have to play to the best of our ability.

Newberry College :

(Head Coach, Jason Brink)

On the game overall:

RE:  I would like to say that I am very proud of these girls and the effort they made today, and I am happy to have been in a position to even be able to play in this regional game today.  Certainly, we did not expect to get here, but we are happy that we were able to.

(Tasha Hollingsworth, Senior Guard)

Keys to cutting deficit:

RE:  I think it had to do with our mentality.  We had players that stepped up that we really needed to step up, who hadn’t stepped up in other games because this is a national championship.  And they knew what was on the line, and what we were fighting for.