Lawton Leads 15-1 Claflin Past Miles in SIAC contest

AUSTIN LAWTON

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Austin Lawton scored season-high 22 points and 14 rebounds as Claflin University ran it win streak to 14 games, outscoring Miles College 97-91 in a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) basketball game Thursday at Tullis Arena.

Claflin is 15-1 overall, third best start since the 2007-08 season where the Panthers won 18 of their first 19 games followed a 17-1 mark during the 2008-09 campaign. The 14-game consecutive win streak is three shy of a program best 17 straight during the 2007-08 season.

The Panthers also pushed their unbeaten streak against SIAC opponents this season to 8-0. The Panthers are 5-1 at home.

Lawson, who posted his third double-double of the season for Claflin, surpassed a season-best of 17 points and 12 rebounds against Kentucky State University. He also blocked four shots for the third time this season for a total of 30.

Three other Panthers hit the double-figure; Benjamin "Tre" Williams tallied 19 points and Tondric Johnson contributed 18 points off the bench, 15 coming in the second half. He also had six rebounds and three steals.

Jaleel Charles scored 10 points along with seven rebounds for Claflin, while Triston Thompson dished out game-high seven assists.

The 14 three-point baskets and 97 points scored are season-highs for the Panthers.

Sheldon Wright led Miles, now 2-10 and 1-4, with a game-high 27 points. Jeffrey Dockett added 20 points for the Bears.

In the second half, Claflin produced its biggest lead of the period at 76-63 with 10:04 left off a jumper by Tyler Thompson. The basket by Tyler Thompson saw the Panthers outscore the Bears 29-24 over that span.

Miles stayed close in the final 10 minutes, pulling within four points at 95-91 with six seconds left, but a pair of free throws by "Tre" Williams with five seconds remaining sealed the win for Claflin.

In the first half, Claflin jumped out to a 5-0 advantage and never relinquish the lead. It took the Panthers 4:30 minutes to build a double-digit lead at 16-4.

The Panthers held a double-figure lead on and off until the midway point where Miles pulled to within 28-19 on a tip-in from Carl Garcia. Over the next eight minutes, the Bears would continue to move closer to the Panthers, closing the gap to four, 40-36 with 1:48 left in the half. The Panthers gained some breathing room in the final 1:24 of the half with a 7-3 run for the 47-39 lead at the intermission.

Claflin will continue its three-game home stand Saturday (Jan. 6) against Tuskegee University at 3:30 p.m. The contest will be a part of Community/Youth Day.

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