Lady Barons win Clayton State tourney

After the Brewton-Parker College women's basketball team finished as the runner-up at Clayton College and State University's Wachovia Tip-Off Tournament the past three years, the Lady Barons left Morrow on Saturday night as the tournament champions.

#3 Ashley Little, junior guard for the Brewton-Parker College Lady Barons basketball team from Lawrenceville, was named Most Valuable Player of Clayton College and State University's Wachovia Tip-Off Tournament on Nov. 19-20 in Morrow after she scored 39 points in the Lady Barons' two victories.

Behind a second straight big scoring outing from junior guard Ashley Little, the Lady Barons snapped their three-year championship game drought against Clayton State by downing the host Lakers 72-69.

"I feel like we are really coming together as a team," said Brewton-Parker coach Sheila Simmons, whose squad improved to 6-0 following the two tournament victories over NCAA Division II schools. "Ashley found her shot in the championship game."

Little did not start the finale because of her game-time arrival from a function in her hometown of Lawrenceville at which her grandmother was honored.

Little found her game in the second half, scoring 17 of her team-high 19 points after intermission with 6-for-13 shooting that included three 3-point baskets.

Little combined those statistics with her 20-point, six-assist effort from the Lady Barons' 97-77 first-round victory Friday over the University of Alabama-Huntsville to garner Most Valuable Player honors.

Clayton State led Saturday's final by two points with 4:40 remaining only to have the Lady Barons go on a 10-2 run and take a 71-65 lead over a two-minute stretch. Little hit a lay-up to give Brewton-Parker the six-point lead with 2:56 remaining.

The Lakers answered with two free throws by senior April Taylor and a basket by Jasmine Patterson to cut the deficit to two points, 71-69, with 41 seconds remaining.

Brewton Parker junior guard-forward Tamika Drinks of Mount Vernon converted a steal -- her eighth of the night -- and hit 1 of 2 from the line to give the Barons a three-point lead, setting up Clayton State's final shot in the closing seconds.

However, Basia Bukowska's 3-point attempt rolled off the back rim, securing the Lady Barons' clinching of a 4-foot-tall championship trophy.

"They got a good look at a 3, but Trivia (Richardson, junior guard from Dublin) got the rebound," Simmons said.

Clayton State got a monstrous effort from All-Tournament player Taylor, who scored 28 points and pulled 11 rebounds. Taylor hit 11-of-16 shots from the field and had four steals. Senior Jamika Hindsman, who was also named to the All-Tournament team, finished with 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Clayton State led 33-28 at halftime and by as many as 12 points in the first half. CCSU took a 12-point lead 32-20 on a rebound and basket by Taylor with 3:33 remaining. Brewton-Parker closed the half strong, outscoring Clayton State 8-1 in the final three minutes.

Drinks followed Little's 20-point effort with 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds to complement her eight steals.

"Tamika played just great, just missing a double-double," Simmons said.
" She is playing so consistently."

Richardson followed with 12 points with four rebounds, and senior forward Crystal McNeil of Pensacola, Fla., had a team-high four assists.

Both teams had trouble handling the ball, as the Lakers committed 30 turnovers compared to 22 for the Lady Barons. Clayton State out rebounded Brewton-Parker 44-36.

Clayton State shot 46 percent (26-of-57) from the floor but hit only 2-of-14 from 3-point land, while Brewton Parker connected on 41 percent (26-of-63) from the field and hit 5-of-23 from behind the 3-point arc.
In Friday's win over Huntsville, the Lady Barons turned in a solid 46-percent shooting night that included 41.2 percent (14-for-34) from 3-point range. They also were 75 percent accurate on free throws, including 9 of 10 in the second half.

"Our big concern going in was with our shooting," Simmons said. "We shot lights out, one of our best nights of the year, but our defensive pressure carried us again."

Brewton-Parker forced 26 turnovers, with Drinks making four of the Lady Barons' 14 steals.

"They were big, with four post players over 6 feet," Simmons said. "We just tried to keep our up-tempo game going and put pressure on the guards."

Junior guard Dannisha Winfrey of Paterson, N.J., who was named to the All-Tournament team, followed Little's 20-point game with 16 points, making three treys and hitting 6 of 11 overall, and had a team-high six rebounds. Richardson was 5-for-8 with three 3s on her way to 15 points, while Drinks added 13 points and also had three 3-pointers.

The Lady Barons next play in the North Georgia College and State University Caruso's Classic on Friday and Saturday in Dahlonega.

Brewton-Parker plays Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.), the No. 6 team in the NAIA Division I preseason rankings, at 8 p.m. Friday and Savannah College of Art and Design at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The Lady Barons then open Southern States Athletic Conference play Monday, Nov. 29, when they visit Southern Wesleyan University in Central, S.C., for a 6 p.m. contest.

-BPC-